


What Universe Is This Again?

by ricecrispbees



Category: Yandere Simulator (Video Game)
Genre: Attempted Murder, Canon Bisexual Character, Canon Gay Character, Canon Gay Relationship, Canon Lesbian Character, Canon Typical Violence, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Domestic Fluff, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Love Triangles, M/M, Parallel Universes, Unrequited Love, canon's mostly going out the fucking window here guys, falling in love with housemates, falling into domesticity, figured i'd just throw it out there, murrrderrrr, updates will be inconsistent bc life is a shitfuck, which shouldn't be surprising considering this is a yansim fic BUT
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-08-08 17:05:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 31,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16433405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ricecrispbees/pseuds/ricecrispbees
Summary: **on an indefinite hiatus**Fun Girl is tired. She's tired of not having an identity, she's tired of not having any memories of her previous life, and she's especially tired of having to spectate the students of Akademi High School instead of living alongside them. When a ritual in the occult club goes horribly wrong, it gives her the chance at a new life...but at what cost to her?Many of the other students can tell there's something off about the new girl. They notice how small objects will sometimes move spontaneously from once spot to another when she's around, and they notice the slight grey undertone to her skin that seems...unsettling. They don't like it. Despite this, however, 'Arata Kurosawa' makes a sizable friend group and learns to coexist with her peers. There's just one thing that really bothers her, however, and it's not the stares and gossips of her classmates.It's the girl with the ponytail in class 2-1.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> hi!!! it's been so long since I published something new!! i hope you all like this fic and what I have planned for it!!  
> ((please leave a comment if you liked it, I love to read what other people think of my work!))  
> <3

Open file? [x] Yes [ ] No

Everything is cold. My surroundings are entirely empty, though if I squint, I think sometimes I can see these ever so small blips of light in the distance. They're too far away from me. I don't remember how long it's been since I last saw another person. I guess that's just how life is in...wherever this is. I think it's the void. There's not a thing I wouldn't give to go to school again, even if I hated most of my classmates way back then and my teachers barely noticed I was there. At least then I'd get to experience the real world. I don't know how long I've been trapped here; hell, I don't even remember of my own name at this point. It sucks. I never asked for this to happen. I never asked my father to do this to me. And to think that once upon a time, I'd wanted my life to end... nowadays, there's not a thing I wouldn't do to get it back.

Although I don't remember anything before the incident, I still constantly miss brief, blurry instances from my life before now. I miss being able to go out and see the sun. I miss having friends, having family (even if mine was very dysfunctional, this much I definitely remember), and I miss not being so goddamn  _cold_  all the time. I don't know what I else miss, exactly, but I know there's more and that fact won't stop eating me. All I can do about it is wait endlessly and hope something clicks. Until then, there's not much for me to do. There's nothing and no one except for a small rift I accidentally kicked open some time after coming here, and through it, I found them.

'They' are the students at Akademi High School. They are my only friends, my only source of entertainment. Our friendship is very one-sided. I know there's no way for them to know I exist. Despite this, however, I feel very attached to all of them. I know everyone's names, their roles in the student body, what their personalities are, and how they like to spend their time. I don't know anything about how they are outside of school besides what they talk about amongst themselves, but I'm content just watching their school lives for now.

There's so many of them, and no two are alike. There are girls with flowers in their hair, boys that walk around wearing swimming goggles and wrestling headbands, delinquents that carry weapons to school and lurk by the incinerator daily without getting suspended for it somehow. It's a truly magnificent cast of characters and I desire so badly to meet them all in person.

The ones I'm most attracted to are the students in the occult club. That particular group of students has a sense of allure to it that I can't quite put into words. Their dedication to proving the existence of the supernatural is so inspiring. Sometimes, it's even enough to make me start thinking that one day I could actually get out of this hell I'm trapped in, but I know that can never be the case. I'm really not sure what makes me think any different, but I'm not sure what makes me think I could ever escape this bleak existence of being a spectator of reality, either.

I guess I'll have to just wait and see for now, but if I'm being honest, I don't think my life will get any better from he͈̹̖̜̞̥ͅr̦̦͖̬ **e̻̻̘͖̬.**

 

 

**[F͓̙̟͓͔͔ͪ̄ͭͪi̦̻̬̘̹͙̪̽͑͌͌̐l̦̰̗͒ͥ͆͊ͪ̐̋̓ͦe̼͈̘̗͙̐̎̒ ̻̘͉͙̩̻͌̑́̌̀c̞̙͙̦̲̺̦̏ͭ̒̆ͦͩ͛o̦͇̗̝͂͒̇̂̈̍͂̚r͈͚̱̻͇̉ͪr̙̜̰͖̐̇̅̾ͭu̠̬͍̝̩̭̮͖͗̎̚p̼̻͙̮̮̿ͣͧ̎͗ͥ͋ͧ͌t͉̹͗̐̀̍ͬ̏e͉̮̗̊̎͗̐̓̚d̠̳ͭ̏̆̈́̈́ͤͨ̚.̗̻͆͌͆ͦ̄̆̍ͦ ͙͔̝̻̬͓̱̒̓ͨ̒̓̒ͣP͍̹̳͚̣͈͂̑ͫ̄l̝̿e̟ͦ͐̾̇ͯā͇̩͙̹͓͚̩̍̊͂͂̚s͔͙̼̈ͬͨ͋̋̽e̲͉̯̯ͭ̄̇ ͙̺̝͌r̬̤͍̭̹͈͎͌ͣ̌̇ͦ̊e͔̗̝̲̲̹̪̠͒̇́ͬ̀̋͂ͯ̔s̳̻̒̓̿t͓̦̗̙̖̭̉͆ͯͧ̀͌̓͊̚ȃ̪̙̘̲̊ͥ̾̓r̺̭̩͉̖̞̼̉͋̆ṯ̽ͨ̀̏ͭͧ ͚̯ͣ͋͛y̯̫̰̜ͩ̉͐̏̑̆͊̽ọ̜̳̼͚͇̞͙̼͌̅͛u̼̲̳͉͔̙̹̥͑ͦ͊ͭͮ̋̅ȑ̙̱̤͙̲̌ͯ̓̆̒ ͎͈͎͙̰̮̭̠̺̈́̄̑ͤ̐̀̂̇g̩͍͎̤̞͓̗ͣͥͅa̼̎͑̽̂m̻̗̜͇̭̏̋̋͑e̟͕ͫ̒ͥ̿̔.̜͙͎̞̠̝͓̯͚̇ͫͯ̇ͪ̚]**


	2. one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even the happiest club leader can't be like that all the time. At least her club's got her back.

 Amai Odayaka didn't usually feel sick, nor did she regularly get irritated with people, but today just wasn't her day. She'd had a nightmare and woke up with a nasty stomach ache, but when she told her dad about it, he blamed it on the amount of sweets she regularly ate and sent her to school anyway. She missed her train to school and had to wait on the bus terminal, feeling sick to her stomach, and her arrival to class was delayed because of it. Her teacher scolded her for being late and coming to school ill. She then proceeded to quarantine her to the nurse's room for the duration of morning classes.

As if all of that wasn't embarrassing enough, she'd missed an important exam she'd have to make up the next day as well as the morning activities that went on in the cooking club. Now, she was in a bad mood, her stomach was beginning to hurt again, and every little thing her classmates did seemed to annoy her. She hated this; normally she tried her hardest to be a happy and positive person. Not feeling that way was strange and she didn't like it one bit.

Luckily for her, Shoku Tsuburaya, the club vice president, was willing to take over the cooking club's activities for the day. Shoku was a happy, carefree boy much like herself who had slightly shorter and darker hair than Amai with an ahoge protruding from his bangs. Classes were over and Amai was tired, but she still had a club to look after even if she wasn't feeling well. She walked down one of the stairwells from class 2-2, accidentally bumping shoulders with Ajia Ashitomi, one of her clubmates.

"There you are, Amai! I've been worried about you all day!" Ajia gasped. "Are you alright? You don't look so good!"

Amai sighed. "No, I really don't feel so well. I was in the nurse's office for half the day. I'm so sorry for not being there this morning."

"I'm so sorry." Ajia gave her a sympathetic look.

"It's alright. I'm coming to the afternoon activities, but Shoku will be in charge again. I'm probably just going to sit off to the side. Please try not to argue with Seiyo today, alright?" Amai gave her friend a weak smile.

"Alright," The dark haired girl replied, "I wouldn't want to give you a headache on top of whatever else you've got going on."

The two walked into the club room to see that it was an absolute mess. Seiyo and Kenko were clearing dirty dishes, utensils, and food packaging off the table and counters. Shoku washing some dishes with an unusually sour expression. He noticed the two come in and his face immediately softened.

"Oh, hey guys." He smiled at them, but there was an undertone of bitterness in his countenance. "Good to see you, Amai."

"Oh, Shoku, what is this mess?!" Amai looked at the table in the middle of the cooking area. It was completely trashed.

"What the fuck happened in here?" Ajia looked around the room in disgust.

"Ashitomi, language,  _please_." The club president sighed and rubbed her temples. She was officially at her wits end and was trying not to let it show.

"Sorry." Ajia squeaked.

"The last cooking class of the day completely mucked the place up. You'd think the teachers would know better than to leave the room in such a state of desecration." Shoku rolled his eyes. "At least we've got time to clean up before the club activities." He looked around briefly. "Where's Saki? Is she even coming today?"

"She told me she had some issues to attend to with a friend." Seiyo said as he threw away the remnants of a container of chicken. "Eugh, there's still trimmings in here. Who the fuck does that?"

"Seiyo,  _please_ , you know I don't like swearing in this club!" Amai said with a strained voice. "I'm not feeling so well today, why don't we just clean the room up without a fuss and get on with today's activity?"

"Woah, that tone is almost nothing like her at all." Kenko whispered to Seiyo. "She must really feel like garbage."

"Poor Amai. And after she's been nothing but an angel to us, too." The blonde replied. "You should go home if you really think you need to, Amai."

Amai waved her hand as if to dismiss the idea. She didn't want to have to go home and face her father any sooner than she needed to. "Really, I'm fine, darlings. I think I should just review some recipe books for ideas we can try out in later meetings while you all make something with Shoku, and that'll be all from me." She smiled sweetly.

"Are you sure?" Kenko asked. "Well, in that case, I'll redo the tablecloth for you." He went over to the dining area to smooth out and lay the pink and white tablecloth out across the table again.

"I hope you feel better soon, Amai." Seiyo said sympathetically. The other members nodded in agreement.

"Thank you all. You're the best club a president could ask for." Amai walked into the dining area, retrieved a few different recipe books from the bookshelf against the wall, and sat down with them while Shoku and the others finished the preparations in the other area. She opened the first one, a book that had a fair mix of Western and East Asian desserts within its pages. She flipped to a random page and started reading.

 _Ichigo daifuku_  was the first recipe that caught her eye, which was a dessert consisting of red bean paste and a whole strawberry wrapped in a powdered mochi covering and rolled into a ball. Immediately, Amai's stomach began to feel less icky and more hungry. She imagined the soft, sweet mochi covering and the slightly bitter red bean paste mixed with a chunk of sweet, juicy strawberry bite melting in her mouth, and her mood lifted a bit. She read through a few more of the pages, marking some good-looking recipes with sticky notes. As she worked, she listened to the sounds of her friends mixing ingredients and imagined the foods she read about. Finally, she was able to forget the horrible day that had just been thrown at her.

All of a sudden, the door to the classroom opened so violently it nearly got thrown off the hinges.

"E-excuse me!" It was Shin Higaku, the president of the Occult Club. Amai slammed the cookbook on the table, startled, and the other members of the club stopped what they were doing. Shin's hair was messier than usual and he seemed to be in some sort of hurry.

"Hey, Higaku. What do you need?" Shoku asked the male in the doorway. Amai sat back in her chair and wheezed softly, thoroughly startled from the surprise entry.

"Do you have any chicken meat, or bones, or really anything from a bird that you don't need?" The dark haired boy leaned against the doorframe. It was an odd request, for sure, and all the club members exchanged glances amongst themselves.

"You can check the fridge and trash can if you'd like. Just be sure to use some gloves when you're handling raw food." Shoku pointed out a box of transparent plastic gloves sitting on the counter by the sink, talking as though the request just made of him was completely normal. Shin nodded and retrieved a pair before opening the fridge. The other club members tried to resume what they had been doing moments before with minimal staring, but Amai just watched the other club leader with fascination. Shin was such a mysterious person, and she rarely ever saw him. Heck, just now she probably heard what was the most words she'd ever heard him say at one time.

"Hm..." Shin mumbled to himself as he closed the fridge door.

"What do you need chicken for anyway?" Seiyo asked as he poured some cake batter into a pan.

"...An experiment." Was the only response the other student gave. Truly a sketchy response to give. Amai watched as Shin dug the chicken scraps Seiyo had thrown away out of the garbage bin. It was such a strange sight to behold, and yet she couldn't drag her eyes away. Shin noticed her staring and his cheeks developed a red tint to them. Quickly, he grabbed a bag and placed the meat inside.

"Thank you so much!" He blurted, dashing out of the room. He didn't even close the door behind him.

"Huh." Shoku watched him leave with a bewildered expression. "That guy's a little weird. Hey, Amai, your face is looking pink. Is everything okay?"

"Hm...?" That's when the club leader realized she'd been staring off into space for a bit too long. She put a hand to her cheek and realized it was burning hot.

"Oh. Yeah, I'm fine." She closed her cookbook, embarrassed, and turned back in her seat. "Carry on."

That guy was really quite strange.


	3. two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spooky occult club shenanigans are spooky.
> 
> Merry Christmas to whom it is applicable.

Shin closed the door to the occult club behind him with a loud ‘thud’, bringing the other members of the club to attention. Everyone was dressed in their

“Did you find what we needed?” Kokuma Jutsu asked as she adjusted the black cloak on her back.

“Y-yeah.” Shin tossed the bag of chicken trimmings in the middle of the pentagram. “Is everyone ready?”

“Yep.” The other members of the club had already put on their robes and set up the club room for a proper ritual.

“Fantastic. You set these up, Daku. It’s not much, but it’ll suffice. Besides, it was your idea to try this ritual anyway.”

Daku pushed his glasses up his nose. “Was this really all they had? I don’t know if the summoning will work with this little animal matter.” He’d come into the club that morning with a packet of paper in his hands and revealed that he’d read somewhere online about a demon-summoning ritual that was “guaranteed” to work. The ritual required a chicken to be used, but they couldn’t bring one in whole, so they figured just using the meat from one would suffice.

“Look, it’s not like we can just go out and bring in a whole chicken. Student council would flip their shit.” Supana pointed out. “Although I’m not really sure the ritual will work, anyway…”

“Come on, Supana. It wouldn’t hurt to try, and at any rate, I think it would be quite interesting to see if anything happens, given that all our previous demon-summoning attempts have been unsuccessful.” Daku huffed. “Don’t you agree, Shin?”

“Hm…?” The club VP seemed to have spaced out for a bit. “Oh. Yeah, sorry.”

“Are you alright?” Kokuma looked at him with concern.

“I’m good. Uh, Daku, the chicken.”

“Right. Sorry.” Daku took the bag of chicken trimmings and laid it in the center of the pentagram in the middle of the room. “Kokuma, go ahead and double knot the curtains shut. We can’t have any light get in except from that of the candles. And on that note, Chojo, go ahead and light those fuckers up.” His lips curled upward into a creepy, excited smile. “I can’t believe we’re about to do this!”

The other members gave sounds of agreement as they prepared the room for a ritual. The only member who wasn’t as enthusiastic, however, was Supana.

“I still don’t think this is gonna work...are we sure we should try?” She mumbled, but nobody heard her. Not like that was unusual. Supana was the quiet girl of the club, the one nobody really paid much attention to unless she did something wrong. Sometimes Kokuma would try and talk to her, but Supana could never shake the feeling that the other girl only ever did it out of pity. She sighed again, fixed her robe, and got down on her knees in her ‘spot’ on the regal pentagram-embroidered rug the club leader had commissioned for them. The real leader, Oka Ruto, was in hospital at the moment with pneumonia, and Shin was taking care of the club until then. Supana had a bad feeling about this. She didn’t know what it was, but she’d never felt this uneasy about doing a ritual with the club before.

“Is everyone ready?” Shin asked as the club took their places around the pentagram. Daku lit the last candle.

“Ready.” Kokuma re-tied her cloak so her entire body was covered except for her face.

“Let’s do this.” Chojo grinned.

“Wonderful.” Daku chuckled. “Let me get the spell and I’ll start the incantation.” Daku pulled a sheet of paper out from his robe. “Everyone, go ahead and hold hands.” The other members did so as he began to read:

“ _ Veni, respondum ad me, _

__ _ Spiritus umbras. _

__ __ _ Ante has candelas ardere ex, _

__ _ Egressus! Ostende nobis, qui sis! _

__ __ _ Egressus ex umbra de spatio et tempore! _ ”

 

For a moment, everything was silent. Too silent. No one in the room could hear a thing, not even the soft sounds of the flames eating away at the candle wicks. For a moment, Supana actually thought that this ritual would be a bust, too.

And then it happened.

The meat in the center of the room began to smell in such a way that it got progressively worse as the seconds ticked away, escalating from the scent of meat left out for a bit too long to the rancid odor of days-old roadkill. Kokuma gagged, letting her grasp on Shin and Chojo go and stumbling backwards with both hands over her nose. Shin groaned and started to dry heave.

“Jesus Christ!” Daku dropped the paper and clutched his nose. “What the hell? Please tell me one of you did that!”

Supana began to gag and backed away from the circle as well, covering her nose and eyes with her hands. “I don’t think that was any of us!” 

Peeking one eye open, she could see that something was going on in the middle of the pentagram, but she couldn’t quite process what it was. It was like trying to describe an eldritch monstrosity: something  _ was _ happening but there were so many subtle yet broad changes to it at any given moment that her mind couldn’t process fully what she was seeing. The best way to describe it was that it looked like the smoke from the candles had gotten about ten times heavier and began to accumulate in the center of the rug, completely obscuring her vision of the meat that had lain there moments before.

This went on for a few seconds, the club members’ gagging and moaning growing louder as the smell grew more intense and repulsive.

_ ‘Welp, I can’t wait to explain this one to student council.’  _ Shin thought as he tried not to vomit all over the floor. “S-someone! Open the fucking window already!” He eked out between coughing fits. Robe covering the lower half of his face, Chojo stumbled over to one of the windows, reached under the blackout curtains, and opened the window as high as he could manage. Fresh air never smelled so good.

“What on earth is going on?” Kokuma groaned, clutching her head. Supana looked to the middle of the circle and saw that the smoke was beginning to clear, and something was in the middle. Slowly, the pitch-colored fog melted away, and she quickly realized that the mass on the carpet wasn’t a some _ thing _ rather than a some _ one _ .

“Guys!” She gasped. “Look!”

There was a girl lying unconscious in the middle of the room.

  
  



	4. three

One by one, the club members began to process this information, and the room was deathly silent for a few moments. Chaos quickly ensued.

“What the  _ fuck _ just happened?!” Kokuma shouted, jumping to her feet. “You all see this too, right?!”

“I...I think so.” Daku took off his glasses slowly and rubbed his eyes, then put them back on. “Yep. I see her, too. And she’s naked. Totally not awkward in the slightest.”

It was true. The girl, a medium-sized person who looked about their age, had not even a shred of fabric covering her sickly pale frame. Her skin was paler than the average Japanese girl, and it almost seemed to have a grey undertone to it, as if someone had thrown a tarp over a statue that was almost opaque but not quite. Her hair was jet black, quite thick looking, and though splayed about the floor at the moment seemed to come down to at least her shoulders. Her chest rose and fell in shallow but noticeable breaths, so there wasn’t a doubt in anyone’s mind that this newly created person was indeed alive.

“No way. No fucking way.” Shin stood up and put his hands in his hair. “Oh my gods. Ohhhhh my gods.”

“Our first successful ritual just happened,” Chojo stared in amazement, “And we conjured up an entire  _ human being _ .”

“Oh, gods.” Shin groaned, eyes growing wide with a sudden realization. “How the fuck are we gonna explain this to student council?”

“How are we gonna explain it to the administration at  _ all _ ?” Kokuma’s stomach dropped into her feet. “Oh no. Oh, god, no. This cannot be happening.”

“Lock the doors. Now.” Shin said, beginning to pace back and forth across the room. “We can’t have anyone walking in on this.”

Daku and Chojo sprung up to do just that, scrambling to lock the doors firmly and double checking to make sure no one could open the door.

Supana could do nothing but stare in shock. Her heart was in her throat and her stomach was in her kneecaps, and between the two, she had no idea of what to do next. This girl, this entire  _ person... _ they really had just summoned her from nowhere, didn’t they? Was she even a human, or was she a demon of some sort, lying in wait for the opportunity to attack them? There was so much she didn’t know about this mysterious and oddly charming girl that she was frozen in place almost entirely. She did know, however, that this girl was in fact very much so without clothing, so the next step to take was likely to give her some covering. Quickly, she untied her cloak and threw it over the girl’s pale figure, effectively covering everything no person should have to have exposed without proper consent.

“Well, that makes it less awkward for us.” Daku shakily remarked. “At least if someone were to walk in, they would be met with a strange person that’s at least been covered up.”

At that moment, the girl stirred very subtly, then shot up with a loud gasp that sent the occult club reeling in shock. Supana’s cloak nearly fell off of her and the girl quickly used it to cover herself. She seemed almost delirious and used one hand to rub an eye as she looked around the room.

“Huh…?” Her voice was soft and a bit scratchy, as if she was adjusting to trying to speak after years of silence. She brushed her hair out of her face to reveal that her irises were such a dark shade of brown that they were almost black and drew the color of her skin out even further.

“Funny thing, I just said that myself.” Shin mumbled in a tone of complete shock. Everyone’s jaw was agape to some extent and their eyes were wide.

“This is where I think it is, isn’t it.” The girl said this more to herself than anyone else, and a good thing, because nobody else had the slightest fucking clue what she was talking about. This was someone they’d never met, seen, or heard of in their life. How would she know what this place was?

“Excuse me, uh, miss, but... “ Chojo cleared his throat. The girl turned her head to look at him, her curious black eyes boring into him. “Who...are you?”

“Um…” The girl cocked her head. “Funny you should ask that. I have no idea.”

Silence fell over the club again. How could someone have no idea who they were? Maybe she was just a little confused by the question.

“Well, certainly you must have a name.” Daku pointed out. The others nodded in agreement.

“Yes, that’s true,” The girl replied, “But I can’t seem to remember it. It’s been far too long.” She sighed.

“Too long since what?” Shin asked.

“Too long since…” The girl paused. “Uh...actually, it’s a bit complicated…” She held Supana’s cloak closer to her body. “Could any of you spare a set of clothes? Even a male uniform would suffice.”

“Oh, right.” Kokuma nodded. “I think I have an extra in my locker. I’ll be right back.” Just as she turned to leave, the girl grabbed onto her wrist, and the occult club member jumped at how freezing cold her hand was.

“Wait,” The girl in the middle said, “What time is it?”

Shin pulled out hi phone. “It’s 5:15.”

“Oh, shit.” She cursed under her breath. “Hey, wait for a moment.”

“H--?” Kokuma froze. This girl’s hands were cold as ice. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“I can explain in a moment.” The girl looked at the club members with a deadly serious expression. She brushed her dark brown bangs out of her eyes again. “I need somewhere to hide. That black-haired girl from student council will come by in a moment.”

As if to confirm her statement, there was a knock at the door.

“Excuse me,” A muffled, stern voice demanded, “This is student council. Open the door this instant.”

 


	5. four

“Oh,  _ fuck me running _ .” Shin groaned under his breath. Everyone exchanged a panicked look.

“Take off the cloaks and hide me!” The girl urged. The club exchanged another look and, acting as fast as their shaking hands could manage, did as they were told and threw their cloaks in the center of the carpet. They made sure none of them crossed paths with the flames of the candles, lest they go up in smoke and get them in even more trouble. Shin then bolted to the club room door and opened it with shaking hands.

“We’re so sorry about that!” Shin apologized shakily, unlocking the classroom door to greet a very unamused Kuroko Kamenaga. Usually, student council had meetings in the afternoon. What was she doing out here?

“Why was your classroom door locked, Higaku? You know that that’s a direct violation of club rules, especially given the fact that there are candles in this room.” She looked in the middle at the heap of cloaks on the carpet, pushing her glasses onto her nose. “I’m going to have to write you all up for this. We’ll see what the guidance counselor has to say about this tomorrow. Get those capes up, too. That’s a fire hazard.” Kuroko took out a notebook from her blazer’s pocket and wrote something in it.

“Em...the door was locked because we didn’t want anyone interrupting us.” Shin replied. It wasn’t exactly a lie.

“I see. Another unsuccessful ritual has just taken place, I assume?” Kuroko raised an eyebrow without looking up at him.

“Yeah…” The club exchanged fake looks of disappointment amongst themselves.

“Hm. Maybe that’s for the better.” The student council member closed her notebook and put it back in her pocket. “I’d better not see you breaking the rules again or else we’re going to have to suspend your club for one week.”

With that, she walked off without another word.

Shin slammed the door as soon as she was out of earshot and slid down onto the floor. “Oh my god. Oh my  _ fucking _ god.”

“Hey, you!” Kokuma dug the mystery girl out of the pile of cloaks in the center of the room. “You’ve got some explaining to do.”

“I’m aware.” The woman sat up. All eyes in the room were on her, and it was obvious that the club members had many questions awaiting her. “ But first, if the lot of you could turn around for a moment, I’m going to put one of these robes on until I’m done. Then I assume Kokuma will be the one to take me to get a change of clothing?”

“Sure.” Kokuma shivered, turning her back on the girl. “Wait, how do you know my name?”

The girl didn’t reply, but Supana noticed her grit her teeth every so subtly and her general demeanor seemed to go from “somewhat composed” to “mom caught my hand in the cookie jar and now she’s gonna beat me and make me sleep outside” in a matter of seconds.

“What the hell…” Shin muttered. “What are you?”

“What  _ am _ I?” The girl processed the question for a moment before a small smile crept across her face. “A cruel question to ask, really. Thanks to you all, I believe I’ve become human again.”

“Again?” Chojo raised an eyebrow. “And what were you before?”

“Hard to say.” The other replied casually. “Erm...you see...I’m not sure you’ll believe what I’m about to say even if I’m completely honest.”

“Listen.” Daku rested his elbows on his knees and looked at her. “After what just went down to summon you, I don’t think anything you could possibly say would sound all that far-fetched to us, so spill it.”

The other club members nodded in agreement and sat down around her.

“Huh.” The girl tightened the robe and blushed very slightly, making her cheeks turn a shade of off-red. “Well, thank you for the reassurance. I suppose I should begin with where I came from. Once I explain that, you all will be able to understand how I got here. I’d like to point out first that my memories of everything that happened...before now, for lack of better words, is extremely fuzzy if not nonexistent so please try and bear with me.”

The occult club members nodded and waited patiently for her to continue, eyes boring into the flesh of the one seated between them.

“So, I started out as a normal person somewhere a long time ago. This is the part of my existence that I know little to nothing about, but I do know that I had a mother, father, and sister. I don’t remember anything about the sister. She was always just kind of...there. My mom I don’t remember much about either, but I do know that she and dad didn’t have a great relationship. Mom was quite obsessive with dad and often I felt like dad didn’t love her the way she loved him. Dad was also obsessive, but in a different way such that mom wasn’t the object of his interest; he was instead obsessed with  _ science. _

“Dad built all sorts of stuff in the garage. I can’t remember what he made specifically but I do know that he made a lot of...machines. The purposes of those machines were mostly a mystery to me, but one day, he approached my sister and I and he told me that he had something he needed us for. What happened next was really blurry, but I know that he had me get in this big metal chamber. Once he closed the door to it, I heard this loud, mechanical sound, and I blacked out.”

“That sounds terrifying.” Kokuma’s eye was wide, and she was clearly completely enthralled by the girl’s tale.

“It was.” The girl brushed a strand of inky black hair behind her ear with a shiver. “I hate thinking about it. I’m surprised I haven’t fully repressed that memory at all, in fact.

“Anyway, when I came to, I found that I was surrounded by a black, starry void. There was nothing and no one there. I cried out for help...but no one came.” There was a pause and the storyteller bit her lip. “There was also nothing to do, and I was insanely bored, until out of boredom I began to kick my legs about until I heard something tear. I looked down and saw what I could only describe as a rip in the void, and when I looked through it...I saw this place.” Another smile tugged at the girl’s pale lips. “The tall, white building with three floors and a spacious green lawn strewn all about it that would become my only way of seeing into the world.”

“You saw Akademi?!” Daku’s jaw hung agape.

“Indeed. And it was love at first sight.” The girl sighed with a smile. “You all have been my only source of entertainment for such a long time. Not just you, but the whole school. I’ve witnessed countless school events, tests, arguments, and even fights go on in everyone’s lives. Since I left my world, I’ve wanted nothing more than to be a part of this school.” Suddenly, she jolted forward and grabbed both of Shin’s hands. “Please! Please help me enroll as a student here and let me join this club! I would want nothing more! I’ve had my eyes on this club since the beginning, and it would be such an honor to join you after classes every day!”

Shin jumped. “Christ, your hands are freezing!”

“I’m so sorry!” She pulled her hands back. “But my point still stands!”

“Of course it does, I just...gimme a moment. This is a lot to process.” Shin rubbed the bridge of his nose. “You...you said ‘your world’, didn’t you?”

“I did. And what about it?”

“How do you know that _ this _ isn’t your world?” The other club members exchanged looks. Shin had a valid point.

“I’ve thought about that.” The girl replied with a nod. “And I’ve come to the conclusion it’s not. This place--” She gestured to the room around her, “--is a different universe from the one from which I came. I don’t recall an Akademi High School in my universe, but then again you all are aware that I don’t remember much about it as a whole anyway. Something feels...off about this place. I’m not quite sure what it is yet. But this definitely isn’t my old world.”

“I see. How marvelous!” Chojo clapped his hands together. “We’ve summoned a person from across universes! This is incredible! We’ve got to tell everyone what we’ve done, Shin! Then nobody will think our club is a waste of funding after all!”

“No! We can’t tell anyone what happened here! Are you crazy?!” Kokuma grabbed her male friend by the shoulders and shook him. “What if we get in trouble? What if the police or government get involved and kill her or take her or who  _ knows _ what else?” She turned to the girl. “You are honestly the coolest thing to come out of being in this club, and I love you.”

“Huh?” The other blushed. “T-thanks…?”

Kokuma smiled. “Actually, now that I think about it, we need something to call you. I don’t suppose you remember your name?”

“I don’t.” The girl sighed. “Why, do you have any ideas for a new one?”

“No…” Kokuma sighed in defeat.

“Well, let’s see...you’re pale, but you’ve got the darkest natural hair of anyone I’ve ever met, so maybe something with that?” Shin stared in amazement. “Gods, I still can’t believe we just conjured you up from nothing.”

“Her hair? Really? You couldn’t have thought of anything better to go off?” Kokuma criticized.

“ _ Arata Kurosawa _ .” Supana squeaked. Everyone turned to look at her.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” The girl asked, and Supana scooted backwards a little out of embarrassment.

“Erm, I said... _ Arata Kurosawa _ . ‘New’ and ‘Black marsh’, kind of like your hair. I-I’m sorry if you don’t like it!” Supana’s face turned red. She hadn’t expected her voice to catch like it had, and she didn’t anticipate talking to require so much effort, but after hearing the new girl’s story...well, something clicked or broke apart or  _ something _ inside of Supana’s head and now just breathing in her presence was getting to be a labored task. It was strange. Uncomfortable. Why did nobody else seem to be feeling that way?

“Aww. Just as shy as ever.” Daku teased and turned back to the new girl. “We’re all kind of socially awkward nerds to some extent, but Supana’s the most reclusive and quiet out of all of us.”

“!! Sh-shut up, Daku!” Supana felt her face heat up in embarrassment. The girl in the center of the room’s expression didn’t seem to waver from its neutral state.

“That’s alright.” The nameless girl smiled, and although it was a small gesture, Supana felt her entire body heat up. “I love that name. Arata Kurosawa has a nice ring to it. From now on, that’s what I’d like you all to know me as!”

“You like the name that much?” Supana’s eyes widened.

“Of course.” Arata replied. “You all have been so nice to me so far.”

“Well, of course.” Shin shrugged. “Em, now that that’s out of the way, we should probably get some clothes on you.”

“Oh, right.” Arata blushed. “I’d completely forgotten that I was naked.” She said with a laugh. “Kokuma, let’s go get those clothes you were talking about.” She held out a hand and the two stood up together, but they were interrupted.

“A-actually!” Supana blurted, blushing again. “I-I’ve got a spare change of clothes too! I...erm, I would like to go with her if you, um, don’t mind Kokuma. Please.” She appeared to be sweating bullets then.

“Aww, what? But I wanna!” Kokuma huffed.

“Supana’s barely spoken during this whole ordeal, so she’s someone I want to get to interact with more.” Arata reasoned. “Also, I only really feel comfortable going with one person. Two’s company, three’s a crowd, after all.” She looked over at Kokuma. “Nothing personal, Kokuma, but I think I’d like to go with Supana instead.”

“Ugh. Fine.” Kokuma crossed her arms in a jealous pout.

“Well, lead the way.” Arata turned to Supana. The other girl nodded, and as Arata held the robe tightly over herself, the two left the club and headed for the locker room.

 


	6. five

“So, Supana,”

Arata was putting on Supana’s spare clothing behind a group of lockers, trying to hide the excitement in her voice. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it might shatter her sternum. At long last, she was finally thrust into the world she’d desired to be a part of for so long, and under such exciting circumstances, too! The only word she had to describe how it felt waking up in the occult club room was ‘ecstatic’. She’d wondered for so long what it felt like to be there in person, and now she finally had an answer. The room was warm, the air slightly moist, and the black candles on the floor smelled strongly of vanilla. There was a strange sense of homeliness about it, though Arata figured it only felt that way to her because she was used to being in such a dark setting. In any case, the surprise of being here was quite a nice one, and she couldn’t be more thankful for it. 

“Why are you so quiet?” She asked to Supana. She knew the girl was shy, but she’d anticipated a friendlier reaction from her if they were to ever meet. Arata wouldn’t say it anytime soon, but Supana was honestly her favorite club member to observe. She was so quiet and withdrawn, yet so observant and clearly quite knowledgeable, just like Arata herself. She thought they would have a lot in common, that they would be good friends, but apparently not.

“What?” The other girl replied in an obviously worried manner.

“You hardly said a word in the occult club classroom, and every time I’ve observed you, you’ve always kept to yourself.” Arata paused. “I suppose it’s a bit weird to keep bringing up the whole ‘observing from another plane of reality’ thing, isn’t it.” 

“Yeah. Yeah it is.” Supana replied flatly. Of course! That was why Supana was being so avoidant; she was just afraid of her! All she had to do was prove she was friendly, and they’d be fine!

“I’m so sorry. As you might have guessed, I haven’t spoken to any real people in I don’t know how long, so I’m probably going to be quite an awkward person for a while.” The other girl chuckled. “Sometimes I wonder how I’m still able to speak at all, you know. But this is all a learning experience, right? I’ll re-learn social etiquette after a while, I think.”

“I think so, yeah.” The other murmured. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.” Arata replied as warmly as she could. There was a pause.

“Were you really being serious when you said you wanted to enroll here?” Supana almost sounded like she didn’t want to be there...

“Of course I was!” Arata laughed nervously, pulling her uniform shirt over her head. “I hope there’s nothing wrong with that. After all, what did you want me to do? I’ve wanted this life for so long, Supana. For far too long I’ve sat dumbly as a spectator, and now I finally get to play the game, so to speak. I have to take this chance before something happens and I get it taken from me.”

“Oh. I see.” A hint of interest returned to Supana’s voice. Arata wondered if she was capable of processing what that must have been like. 

“It’s no big deal, really. I’m okay with answering your questions at any time, you know.” The new girl stepped out from behind the lockers, struggling to tie the uniform’s scarf around her neck. “Hey, can I get a bit of help? It’s been forever since I put one of these on.”

Supana nodded and approached her, a bit unsteadily, reaching out to touch the scarf. Somehow, her clothing was already freezing to the touch. “A-Arata, why are you so cold?!” She shivered. The other girl’s expression shifted to worried.

“Am I? I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that I hadn’t warmed up at all.” Arata paused and blinked. “I feel fine though.”

“That’s so strange.” Supana pursed her lips. “But I suppose it’s nothing if you’re feeling okay.”

“Wow, I think this conversation is the most I’ve ever heard you say.” Arata chuckled. She then realized just how much she’d missed the feeling of laughter bubbling up her throat and the accompanying happiness that spread throughout her chest.

“Really?” Supana’s cheeks pinked. “Oh. To be honest...I don’t know why I’m so quiet. Talking just feels scary sometimes.” She mumbled, focusing most of her attention on tying Arata’s scarf. Supana realized it likely wasn’t good to be divulging that much information to someone she just met, but there was something about this girl that made her feel like this was someone she could confide in. Maybe it was the fact that she probably already knew everything about her, or that Arata genuinely seemed as though she’d accept any kind of person in her life with open arms.

“For a member of the occult club, you seem to be quite frightened of everyday life.” Arata commented. “Could it be that you’re doing this to try and to become a braver person?”

“...” Supana was quiet, her cheeks burning. Arata realized she must have hit a nerve. “Why don’t you go take a look in the mirror and see how those clothes look on you?”

“Oh. Okay.” The new girl rubbed her arm awkwardly. “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you.”

“No, no, it’s...fine. Really, it’s fine.” Supana waved her off. Arata could not, however, shake the feeling that things weren’t fine. She slunk off into the bathing area, her heart beating wildly, desperate to see what she looked like at last. What she saw in the mirror made her gasp.

“Oh my god.”

She stared deeply into one of the mirrors, wiping away the mist on its surface to see better. Her eyes widened. She had no idea what she’d expected, but this was  _ lovely _ . She had pale skin that contrasted with her dark eyes, with similarly toned hair pooling down from her head to a little bit past her shirt collar. Her mouth was framed by soft, light pink lips that parted slightly in a surprised ‘o’ shape, and her clothes hung on her frame in a way that suggested she was thin, but not necessarily skin and bones.

“I look…” She struggled to find the proper words needed to describe herself. “Human.”

“That you do.” Supana’s voice from the doorway made Arata jump.

“I’m beautiful!” Pride swelled up inside of Arata’s chest and she felt as though she was going to cry. Without thinking, she dashed over to Supana and threw her arms around her in a hug. “Thank you! Thank you so much!” 

She felt Supana tense up at the touch, but the hug was briefly returned before Kurosawa was pushed away.

“That’s really not necessary.” The girl with pigtails winced.

“Oh. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Supana.” The new girl turned something of a neutral pink in the cheeks, brushing some hair behind her ear.

“Oh, no. It’s okay. Just give me a heads up before you do that again, okay?” Supana chuckled nervously and Arata nodded.

“Of course! Before we go back to meet the others, I’ve one tiiiny last favor I’d like to ask of you.” She prompted. 

“And what would that be?”

“Do you have any hair ties?” The thickness of her hair and the steaminess of the locker room was beginning to bug her. “I want to do my hair in those, uh…” What were they called again? “The hairstyle you’re wearing.”

Supana’s face reddened again and Arata couldn’t help but wonder if she was well.

“Yeah, I’ve got some.” She replied and went back over to her locker. “Here you go.” She produced from her locker two thin white hair ties and handed them to Kurosawa. “You can use my hairbrush too, if you’d like.”

“You’re so nice, Supana.” Arata smiled warmly. “Just as I expected you to be.” She walked back into the locker room, leaving Supana back in the locker area once again. Initially when they’d walked in, Arata felt so happy and comfortable within the warmth of the locker room that she’d decided to stay in as long as she could even if it smelled kind of strange. Now, however, the heat was becoming unbearable and she tied her hair up quickly so she could leave. She quickly walked back out to the locker area and returned the items to her new friend, body rushing with adrenaline.

“Supana,” She breathed as she handed the brush back, a dreamy smile on her face, “Thank you so much, once again.” Arata was on top of the world

Supana nodded curtly. “Let’s just go back to the classroom, okay?”

“That sounds fine by me.” Arata nodded. “Oh, I almost forgot this.” She picked up the black cloak from the club room off the floor and slung it over her shoulder. “Right, then, let’s go.”

As the two walked out of the locker room together, Supana began to wonder just what kind of trouble the club had gotten itself into this time.

 


	7. six

“You look good, Arata!” Daku remarked as she and Supana walked back into the room.

“Thank you.” The new girl hadn’t stopped smiling since she put on the clothes. “Here’s your cloak back!”

“It’s almost time for school to close.” Shin remarked. “I would like for us to leave together, just so we can talk about how to go about handing Arata’s situation. You know, getting her enrolled here and what have you.”

“That’s fine.” Arata sat down in one of the chairs. “Ooh, comfy.”

“Hey, I just realized something.” Daku piped up. “Arata, do you have somewhere

to stay the night?”

“Oh.” The new girl’s eyes widened. “I don’t. I honestly didn’t bother to think about that. My apologies.”

“That’s a problem.” Chojo commented with a sigh. “Uh, I would offer to let you stay at my place for a few days, or at least until you could find somewhere more permanent, but my parents would never allow me to have a girl over. I hope you understand.”

“Oh, that’s fine.” Arata smiled. “I do appreciate your offer though, Chojo.”

“Hey!” Kokuma suddenly piped up. “What about you, Supana? You’ve pretty much got your house to yourself all the time, right?”

Supana’s cheeks turned beet red. “W...why is that any of your business?” She snapped.

“Well, none of us would be able to house her, making her sleep on the streets is a bad idea for so many reasons, and it really isn’t a good idea to hand her over to someone else in the school.” Shin pinched the bridge of his nose. “So I think you’re the only one who  _ can _ host her--”

“But why? I-I don’t even know her!” Supana looked over at Arata, who shifted uncomfortably, and looked back at the rest of the club. She started sweating and shaking again.

“Come on, Supana. Please? You rarely do anything for the club anyways, so this would be a nice chance to contribute for once.” Supana clenched her fists and Arata could sense that she was becoming quite angry with Kokuma’s degrading words. Her lip twitched, but the shy girl couldn’t bring herself to say anything. The other club members exchanged uncomfortable looks, unsure of if and how to intervene.

“Kokuma, lay off her.” Arata broke the silence. “I don’t want to be a liability on any of you, Supana included. And there’s absolutely no reason to tear into her like that, or just sit and watch it happen!” Kokuma’s cheeks turned beet red.

“I’m sorry…” She mumbled, embarrassed.

“You should be.” Arata crossed her arms. “I don’t care where I end up tonight. I’d just like help getting enrolled here, that’s all. Please don’t force Supana into doing anything she doesn’t want just because it’s convenient.”

Supana stared at her, dumbfounded. No one had ever stuck up for her like that before. Shin had broken up a few disagreements between Supana and the other club members in the past, but that time wasn’t the same. She’d have to thank Arata profusely later, but now wasn’t a good time.

“She’s right. In fact, I think Kokuma can be the one to get the proper enrollment paperwork from the headmaster’s office.” Shin gave the short-haired girl a look as if to say  _ that means now, _ and Kokuma shamefully slunk out of the room to do so.

“Does she do that to you often, Supana?” Arata softly asked her acquaintance when the short haired girl left. Supana shook her head.

“Usually we’re on good terms with each other, but I don’t know what’s up with her today.” The occult girl sighed miserably.

“I see. Would a hug cheer you up?” Arata hated seeing her so sad, but she just shook her head.

“Not now.” Supana replied and turned away from her.

“Oh. Okay.” The black-haired girl nodded, slightly hurt but fine otherwise. The club sat in awkward silence and waited for Kokuma to return with the paperwork so they could leave. Arata soon became aware that all the club members were on their phones, except for Supana, and realized her not having one might become a barrier to understanding her new peers better. Oh well. Maybe she’d be able to get one someday.

That was a sentence she never thought she’d get the privilege to think.

Some time later, Kokuma returned with a thin manila folder in her hands.

“Here.” She thrust the papers into Arata’s hands. “Sorry it took me so long. The headmaster was asking loads of questions about the ‘cousin’ I was getting these for and I had to lie out of my ass so hard to get him to believe me. That old man is seriously paranoid.” She laughed uneasily. “Uh, anyway, it’ll probably be a day at the very least before you’ll fully be enrolled if you fill everything out tonight.”

“Oh! Thank you so much, Kokuma.” Arata smiled, sighing happily. “Thank all of you.” The club members all gave responses along the lines of ‘it’s nothing’, or ‘no problem’, but Supana was still silent. Arata looked over at her and then back at Kokuma. “And I think there’s something have to say to her before we go, Kokuma.”

An embarrassed blush once again spread up and across the short-haired girl’s face. “I’m really sorry, Supana. I mean that.”

Supana stared suspiciously at Kokuma, then nodded. “I accept your apology.”

“Well, I’m glad that was resolved.” Chojo put his phone in his jacket pocket. Just as he said that, the bell signaling the end of the day rang out.

_ Ding, dong. Ding, dong. Ding, dong. _

A feeling of unease suddenly fell over the club.

“Well, what now?” Shin realized they had to find a way to get Arata off the campus without being caught with a complete stranger among them. The other members of the club exchanged looks among themselves.

“Let’s just hurry as fast as we can, and let’s all stand around Arata so she doesn’t stand out.” Chojo cracked his knuckles. “I’m sure if we go fast enough, and if we go around the side of the building, nobody will ever figure out what went on in here today.”

“Fantastic idea, Chojo!” Shin nodded. “Everyone, you have got to promise you won’t say a word to anybody about what went on in here today, Arata included.” He turned to the new girl with a confident smile on his face. “We’re gonna get you enrolled here at Akademi, and from there we’ll figure out what to do. Got it?”

The club members all nodded in agreement, with Arata smiling and nodding the most.

“Let’s hurry.” Arata urged, trembling with anticipation.

“Alright.” Shin took a deep breath. “Let’s do this.”

He opened the door closest to the exit of the building and looked out into the hallway. The members of the art and cooking clubs had just finished emptying out of their respective rooms, and he knew that the second and third floor club members would be coming soon. “Hurry.” He quietly ushered Chojo and Daku out of the room, making sure Arata was hidden behind the other two male members of the club since they were significantly taller than her and would conceal her presence to anyone looking directly at the group. The girls were next, and once everyone was out in the hallway, Shin slammed the door to the club room shut.

Everyone’s hearts were collectively pounding as they slunk out of the side of the building, paranoia setting in as they looked about the school property for any other students that could potentially be able to see them. When they saw that the drama club hadn’t yet left the gym and the sports club hadn’t finished clearing the pool area, they let out a collective sigh of relief.

“Oh my god. I’m actually kind of trembling right now.” Daku laughed, raising his arms above his head.

“God, me too.” Kokuma and Chojo laughed. All Arata could do was stare; she hadn’t paid much attention on the way to the locker rooms, but the school was so  _ massive _ in person, the air around it so crisp and clean. She was  _ living _ . Actually, physically living. Numbly trying to process everything she was experiencing, she followed her new friends slowly, her dark eyes wide and taking in every detail they could. She felt happy and relaxed in such an excess that it numbed her systems, as did everyone else, though they did not feel it as strongly. She realized then that she didn’t care what her future held for her next; all she cared was that she was now a living, breathing part of the world she’d wanted to be in for as long as she could remember.

However, she probably should have cared more. If she had, she would have been the first to notice that there was someone following them at a distance, trying to identify who she was.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...and now, the real story begins :)


	8. seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The occult gang goes out for a fun time and gets a bit more than they bargained for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays, lovelies! I hope everyone has had a wonderful December so far! I finally got a new laptop today that can *gasp* run video games past 19 fps! I'm ecstatic!
> 
> The lovely comments everyone left was enough to make me spend the remainder of the afternoon polishing the already published chapters AND churn out a whole new one just for you all! I'm so grateful to have such a fantastic audience!
> 
> Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Yuletide, and a wonderful December holiday to all else it's applicable to!<3

Shisuta Town was a bustling, lively place by Arata’s standards. The air smelled of car pollution, but also of food from cafes and restaurants and markets speckled across town. It was chilly, just as expected of early April in this part of Japan, and Arata found herself shaking like a leaf despite being used to cold temperatures. She figured it was exposure to the steam in the locker rooms making her feel this way.

“It’s such a nice afternoon!” She remarked, earning her a funny stare from Daku.

“But it’s overcast.” He said, one eyebrow raised.

“I don’t see how that makes the day any less nice.” Arata returned. Daku gave her an amused smile.

“Whatever you say.” He shrugged.

“So, Arata!” Kokuma piped up cheerfully. “Do you remember what taiyaki tastes like?” 

“Huh?” Arata racked her brain to see if she could remember what that was. At the very least, it sounded familiar. “Uh...what’s that?”

“It’s this dessert that’s like two fish-shaped cakes with cream inside them. I know a place that makes really good taiyaki and green tea, and right now, I’m starving. We should totally go!” She began to fish through the pocket of her skirt to get her wallet, but Shin stopped her.

“It’s nearly dinner time and  _ some of us _ don’t want to spoil our appetites.” He pointed out, then remembered Arata’s situation. “Then again, if you girls really want to go, we’ll come along.”

“Hooraaay!” Kokuma cheered and Arata smiled, putting a fist in the air.

“Woohoo!” She chirped. “Taiyaki sounds wonderful!”

The occult club group shared a laugh.

“I’m getting strawberry. That’s my favorite.” Kokuma began to ramble to the new girl. “There’s, like, over 20 flavors and a bunch of toppings you can put in them, though, so you should just get whatever appeals to you the most! Oh, and the teas and other drinks are  _ fantastic _ as well, you’re just gonna love it! Eheh, I’m paying for it, of course, since you’ve got no money.” She affectionately pat Arata on the shoulder.

“Oh, gosh,” Kurosawa chuckled nervously, “However am I going to choose what to get?”

“You’ll figure it out.” Supana shrugged. “I think I know what place Kokuma’s talking about. Personally, I think their vanilla taiyaki with caramel on top is absolutely fantastic.”

“Caramel?  _ Really _ ?” Kokuma arched an eyebrow.

“It’s good! Don’t be so judgy!”

“I have no idea what you two are talking about.” Arata laughed nervously. All these food mentions were making her stomach growl painfully, though, so everything they were discussing sounded absolutely wonderful despite her only having vague recollections of what they meant. How long had it been since she’d tasted strawberry or vanilla _ anything _ ? Truly, she decided, today was the most blessed day of her life.

“You’ll see in a moment. The place is right up the street from here.” Kokuma reassured. “God, I can hear your stomach from here!”

“Hey!” Arata blushed with embarrassment and the group laughed again.

“Don’t worry, Kurosawa, we’ll get some good food in your stomach soon.” Shin reassured her with a warm smile. Arata returned it gratefully.

“Thank you, Shin. Oh, you all are so wonderful!” She praised with a glowing smile on her face.

“You’re welcome!” Shin gave her an affectionate pat on the head.

All the students laughed, except for one.

 

Walking within earshot of them, face in her phone, Amai Odayaka was now royally pissed off.

She had no reason to be so mad, of this she was well aware, and yet something inside her held to nothing but a festering mess of frustration and annoyance, which was now being directed at the vice president of the occult club. She’d smelled the rancid stench of what had to be a corpse of some sort coming from the hallway and knew immediately that it had something to do with the occult club, so she’d sent for a student council member to check it out when her clubmates began to react to it. Shoku, a known emetophobe, actually began to dry heave into the sink because it smelled so bad, and he couldn’t stop crying for a while because of how badly his insides hurt from it. Kuroko returned from the occult club room a little too quickly and told Amai she was unable to find the source of the smell, and by then the odor had dissipated, so everyone but her and Shoku seemed to forget about it and move on. Amai herself almost forgot it as well until the bell rang, she went back into the room to get her bag, and upon coming back out saw... _ her _ .

Hell if Amai knew who she was, but she knew that girl didn’t go here. She was unlike any student she’d seen at Akademi before, and as a third year, she imagined she knew just about everyone in the school at that point. There was a chance that this new girl had come in earlier that day, but the chances of that, she felt, were  _ very _ slim. There weren’t many students attending Akademi High. She would have certainly noticed a new girl walking around if that were the case. That paired with the incident regarding that smell made her presence with the occult club of all groups far too fishy for the chef to resist investigating.

There was something about that girl that deeply unsettled Amai as well. Her hair was a bit too dark, and her skin far too light to be healthy. She hadn’t seen much of her face, but she did get a glimpse of her side face minus the eyes when she’d turned the corner on her way out. Something about her features vaguely reminded Amai of another student in the school, but this girl’s hair was too dark, and she was a bit too short to be her. On the topic of them leaving, the occult club seemed to have gone out of their way to leave from a place no student would ordinarily think to go. What was the club doing going out that way? There were too many questions and not enough answers, so Amai took it upon herself to follow the occult club members from school and see what they were up to.

In retrospect, it probably wasn’t the best idea. Amai’s dad would be expecting her home soon and here she was on the other side of town. Still, her curiosity couldn’t be sated by waiting to talk to Shin tomorrow, so here she was, following them at a distance and recording anything of relevance she heard on a notebook app.

“ _ Don’t worry, Kurosawa, we’ll get some good food in your stomach soon! _ ” Shin said to the girl standing with them in a way Amai thought was a bit too friendly. Kurosawa, huh? That must have been her last name. She thought she’d heard Kokuma use her first name earlier, but at that time, there’d been so many people around Amai that it was hard to tell what exactly had been said. A pang of jealousy resonated through Amai’s chest when she heard him speak so kindly to her, this girl she didn’t even  _ know _ , and yet around her he was a total mess. What was up with that?

She watched silently as they approached a booth advertising taiyaki that the short-haired occult girl hadn’t been able to shut up about. Amai didn’t understand it; the occult club was so withdrawn and quiet around literally the entirety of the student body, but here in the open, they seemed to be just like any other normal student. They were truly a curious bunch, and the addition of another person was the cherry on top to the mystery sundae Amai was confident she was about to devour.

‘I could probably make better taiyaki than that.’ She thought bitterly as the short haired girl--Kokuma was her name, right?--ordered two strawberry taiyaki, one with a caramel drizzle and one with whipped cream in it and a clear boba tea. Kurosawa took her sweet time ordering, but with a bit of prompting from her female classmates, she decided on a vanilla taiyaki with a strawberry drizzle and chocolate milk. The final girl, Supana, ordered a vanilla taiyaki with chocolate chips and black boba, and the boy with one lens of his glasses blurred out ordered two matcha taiyaki with whipped cream, cinnamon, and honey-lemon boba. Definitely a strange order for the boy, but nonetheless Amai thought it all sounded fantastic.

‘No! Don’t focus on sweets right now, Amai!’ The chef scolded herself. The occult club sat down at a nearby table with their food and Amai’s eyes widened when she saw the mystery student Kurosawa’s face. She was beautiful, and yet she was a terrifyingly sickly sight. Her eyes were so dark that Amai jumped and thought for a moment they were all black. Her head quickly levelled, however, and she realized that Kurosawa just had very dark pupils on very light skin. She had a small nose and eyes that reminded her a lot of a certain person in a way that made Amai feel almost like they could be related, but since she had the last name of Kurosawa, then she knew that couldn’t be the case.

‘Interesting.’ Amai went to make a note of that on her phone but was interrupted by some shouting.

“Oh! Hey, is that Amai Odayaka?” One of the occult boys, Amai wasn’t sure who, asked another quite loudly.

_ Fuck. _

“Yeah, it is!” Chojo shot Shin a grin and the vice president’s face pinked. “Hey, Amai! Come over, we wanna say  _ hiiiii _ !” Chojo shouted in an obnoxiously loud voice, waving the girl over. Begrudgingly, she came.

“G-good afternoon.” She greeted the bunch through gritted teeth.

“Hey, Amai.” Kokuma didn’t even bother looking up at her from her phone as she munched her taiyaki. She and Kurosawa appeared to be browsing a site, occasionally laughing between themselves. Supana seemed like she was in on the fun, too, although she was seated to the opposite side of Kurosawa so it was harder for her to see the phone.

“You seem quite tense, Amai.” Shin stuttered, his face a pink color. “Um, what are you doing on this side of town? Isn’t your dad’s bakery the opposite way from the school?”

Amai sighed. There was no bullshitting her way out of this, and quite frankly she was too tired to try and weasel her way around giving a straight explanation, so she decided to cut to the chase.

“Who is this,” She pointed to Kurosawa, who looked up at her like a deer caught in headlights, “And what the hell was that smell coming from the occult club earlier?” She asked, turning back to Shin.

Silence fell over the table. The members all exchanged uneasy looked with each other, and Supana was the first to speak.

“Amai, are you well? You seem tense and cranky.” She pulled up a chair from another table. “Sit down, please. You look like you’ve had a rough day.”

Amai sighed, clenching her fists. “I appreciate the offer, but please, not now.”

“Did you follow us from school all the way to here?” Daku cocked an eyebrow and looked up at Amai. When she didn’t respond, he took another bite of taiyaki. “I at least admire your dedication, even if that is a bit odd.”

“Amai, you aren’t acting like yourself today.” Shin’s concern almost made Amai’s frustration melt away, but it wasn’t enough. No, it was barely enough to scratch the surface of her anger. “Please, do sit down and we can talk this out respectfully.”

But she couldn’t do that. Not now. It was far too late Her anger had been left to stew for too long, and now it was about to blow the lid off the pot. For too long that day had she been belittled by her dad and felt like hell and kept away from the rest of her daily life, all for stuff she had no control over, and the sketchy behavior from her classmates was the straw that finally broke her back. Amai Odayaka had officially had enough, and without even trying to think rationally about it, she let it all go.

“How about you be straight with me and tell me what the fuck is going on?!” She snapped, pointing a finger in a shocked and almost terrified Shin’s face. “You think I wasn’t gonna notice you trying to sneak one more student out of the school that nobody’s seen all day?! You really thought you could get away with just taking shit from  _ my _ club room and then doing god knows what with it to make that awful smell?! Don’t look at me like that, of course I know that was you, _ dickheads _ ! I’ll have you know my VP nearly threw up in the sink from how fucking terrible that smell was! That poor boy, he was dry heaving and sobbing from how bad it hurt  _ well _ after that stench cleared up! You all are up to something, I don’t know what the fuck it is, but I don’t like it a goddamn bit and I want answers  _ NOW _ !”

The only sound heard for a while after that was the sound of Amai breathing heavily, red blotches staining her cheeks and nose. The occult club, the taiyaki stand owner, and some of the passerby were stunned into silence. Amai saw a few schoolgirls wearing middle school uniforms laughing and taking pictures, but she could have cared much less at that point.

“Amai…” It was only when the student chef saw tears in the eyes of the horrified Shin Higaku that she realized she fucked up big time. “Wh...I don’t...are you…?...”

“Oh. Oh, Shin.” Her heart sunk into her feet and she desperately attempted to backtrack. “Shin, I’m so so sorry, I really didn’t mean to snap at you, I just had a really bad day and--”

“What’s your deal, Odayaka?!” Kokuma sprung to her feet and quickly defended her clubmate. “What did Shin do to you?!”

“N-nothing!” Amai stumbled over her words, trying desperately to recover from the meltdown she’d had moments before. “Please understand, I’ve had a very bad day and--”

“That doesn’t give you the right to talk to our VP like that.” Daku stood up too, pushing his glasses up his nose, eyebrows furrowed.

“No! P-please, I can explain, just listen to me! I’m really concerned about what happened today because--”

“Dude! You followed us from school for a good what, fifteen minutes?! What the fuck is wrong with you?” Chojo snapped, standing up too. Amai began to panic as the occult club began ganging up on her. She looked over to Kurosawa and Supana, but Supana gave her a look of disgust and the new girl was analyzing her with an almost curious stare, vanilla taiyaki still hanging from her mouth.

“Higaku! Please, I’m so sorry for yelling at you! Please, please forgive me!” Amai begged, but Shin only wiped his eyes as a few tears began to fall down his face.

“We can discuss this tomorrow, Amai.” His voice was choked and quiet, as if he was holding back tears. “Please, just go home and rest for now. I think you need it.” 

Unable to speak and unable to reply, Amai only nodded mutely in response. Hanging her head in shame, she turned and began to walk away from the taiyaki shop.

“ _ Odayaka _ !” The owner called out to her. Oh, for fuck’s sake. She recognized the voice; turning around confirmed to her that the old woman running the stand was a former coworker of her father’s. “What has gotten into you, young lady?! Your father will hear about this!”

Amai could hold her tears back no longer and ran from the shop, sobbing.

“Oh, dear.” Arata remarked, sipping her chocolate milk with a flat expression. The milk, it was so cold and sweet. She was infatuated with the drink already, but right then she had other things to fixate upon. “I wonder what’s wrong with Amai? She’s such a sweet girl normally.” She took another sip of milk, deep in thought. “Ah, that’s right. She had a rough morning, I think, as she came into school late.” She turned to face her friends, who were taking turns consoling Shin. “You all should speak with her tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” Shin sniffled through tears. “And if none of you will, I will at the very least.”

“God, what was so wrong with her that she had to snap at Shin like that, though? Bitch.” Kokuma’s tone now had a bit of empathy towards Amai to it, but she was still visibly pissed.

“Dunno. I saw she came in late and wasn’t in morning classes, though, so that may have had something to do with it.” Arata said casually. “Please don’t be so cruel to her.”

“But you weren’t even here for--oh yeah.” Daku and Arata shared a knowing look.

“Yeah.” Kurosawa finished her chocolate milk off. “We should definitely talk to her tomorrow when we get the chance.”

  
  
  


Amai wiped the last of her tears from her face, eyeliner smudging across the back of her hand. She sighed, took some face wipes and a hand mirror from her bag, and wiped the smudged makeup from her face. She had to admit, even in the dim light of the alleyway, she looked like fucking garbage, and there was no way she was going to be able to face Shin and the others at school tomorrow.

‘There goes my chance at making friends with the new girl.’

During her meltdown in the strange alleyway half a block from the train station, Amai realized just how much she’d blown the new girl thing out of proportion. Maybe she really was a new girl she hadn’t noticed since she was out of classes for half the day. Maybe she decided of her own volition to join the occult club, and maybe she’d accidentally messed up a ritual or whatever in there, causing the smell. All of it had a perfectly logical explanation, and here Amai was, jumping to conclusions like it was the goddamn froggie Olympics.

Drying the last of her tears with the bottom of her shirt, she pulled it down to cover her midriff and the unsightly greenish-purple bruise on the right-suprapubic region. Looks like she’d have to explain to her father why she was late again. He wasn’t gonna be happy with her. Amai dug through her bag to see if she had any concealer left and, after propping up the mirror against the alley wall, used a beauty blender to pat on some liquid and then powdered concealer over the bruise on her jaw. Hopefully that one would heal soon. She hated wearing concealer.

The student chef gathered her things once again, took a deep breath and stepped out of the alleyway. Looking about, she realized nobody in the crowd even noticed she was there. Not surprising. Maybe the occult club would forgive and forget by tomorrow. She could only hope that would be the case as she walked down to the train station.

On her way there, she accidentally bumped shoulders with a familiar-looking person. She was slightly taller than Amai with thick, black hair pulled back into a ponytail and dark eyes. She walked briskly and with a purpose, barely even realizing she’d bumped shoulders with someone from her school. Amai stared as the girl walked away, down the street in the same direction she’d just come from.

“That’s strange.” She remarked to herself. “That new girl...she really does look like Ayano.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;)


	9. eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's everyone's favorite content: teenage angst and emotional baggage! Fun times all around!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably the longest chapter in this thus far (totaling about 17 pages/5390+ words in google docs) and it's all occult club kiddo interactions. God, I fucking love writing these guys.
> 
> I've done some sketches of Arata in her 'human' body and as Fun Girl! You can find them here: https://skatingmutual.tumblr.com/post/181510272926/hello-im-currently-working-on-a-yansim

“Kokuma, I officially owe you my life.” Before the incident with Amai, Arata felt like she was on top of the world. Now she was just...tired. Tired and kind of feeling empty inside. She crumpled up the wrapper for her taiyaki and the now empty box of chocolate milk, contemplating what had gone down minutes earlier. “This is the most satisfying thing I’ve experienced in ages.” She remarked, trying to lighten the mood. The warm food in her stomach never felt so good.

“Heh. Really?” Kokuma asked flatly, though she had a slight smile on her face. The occult club was still clearly bitter, Shin especially, about what had happened with Amai moments before. Supana had bought the VP a peach bubble tea in an attempt to raise his spirits, but it didn’t seem to do much. He looked absolutely miserable, staring blankly down into his drink with red and puffy eyes, and nothing any of his friends said seemed to console him.

“Shin, I’m so sorry.” Supana reached across the table to touch Higaku’s arm.

“Don’t apologize like it’s your fault, Churu.” Shin tried to smile but his lips simply wouldn’t budge. “I’m just...I’m in shock.” 

“We all are.” Daku sighed and leaned back in his chair, pushing his glasses up his nose again.

“Tell me about it!” Chojo snorted. “Of all the students I’d expect to have a shitfit in front of us, she’s the very last person on the list.”

Kokuma nodded. “Whatcha thinking about, Arata?” She looked over to see the new girl staring off into space, clearly deep in thought.

“I’m trying to recall all I’ve observed Amai do lately. Maybe with that I can figure out what’s up with her today.” She folded her hands on the table. “She came to school late looking quite frazzled, and I’ve a feeling she wasn’t feeling well.”

“And how’s that justify her erupting like that in Shin’s face?” Chojo demanded, pointing a thumb at his miserable friend. “Are you aware of how he feels about her?”

“Chojo, don’t be a dick and tell other people's feelings for them!”  Daku reprimanded, but Shin waved it off.

“No, no, it’s fine. Arata must have noticed it by now as well, but…” He drew in a shaky breath. “I think I have, or at least had a crush on Amai for a while. Probably since about halfway through Year Two. Were you watching us then?” He looked up to meet Kurosawa’s eyes, who looked him over intently.

“I don’t believe so, no,” She shook her head, “But I’ve definitely noticed a few subtle signs that you like her, Shin, and that made her meltdown all the more painful to watch. However,” Arata laced her fingers together, “Hear me out. I don’t think Amai’s meltdown was normal behavior. At the very least, it’s not normal based on what I’ve seen from her at school. I think there’s something going on with her outside of school, and that’s why I think we owe her a bit of leeway on this. Does that mean she’s absolved of what she’s done, no. Does she still owe Shin an apology, yes. But I think we need to take her behavior at more than face value right now.” She rubbed her chin, earning her an amused chuckle from Chojo.

“Well, you’re just a regular Sherlock Holmes, aren’t you, Arata?” He mused. Kurosawa smiled.

“A lot of time alone has given me plenty of insight on the mind of man.” Her expression became serious again. “That being said, Shin, you look like you feel like shit. Is there anything we can do to help you?”

Shin shook his head.

“What you said about Amai makes sense though.” He nodded. “Um, is there anything else you saw her do today specifically from, you know, the void or whatever that backs that up?”

“That’s definitely a weird question to ask,” Daku rested his elbows on the table and leaned forward, “But I was honestly about to ask the same thing.”

Arata nodded, but right as she was about to open her mouth, she realized how much power she had knowing this much about what the Akademi High students’ lives were like. In that void, she was basically a god, constantly watching over the students, and that was something she’d never really thought of before. It was weird now that she critically thought about it, and she didn’t feel too good about it morally either.

“Um...I don’t feel comfortable divulging that sort of information anymore.” Arata rubbed the side of her arm. “It feels wrong, you know?”

“Oh. Yeah, I get it.” Shin took a sip of peach tea. “Sorry.”

“You’ve got nothing to apologize for, man.” Chojo pat him on the shoulder. He then checked his phone. “6:45?! Good god, where does the time go!”

“We should probably all be going home soon, and on that note, where’s Arata gonna camp out?” Kokuma turned to her friend.

“Ah, shit. I hadn’t even thought about that since we left the school.” Kurosawa pinched the bridge of her nose. “Um...is there a shelter or something nearby? I’ll stay there if there is one.”

“Oh, no. We’re not putting you in a shelter.” Kokuma asserted with a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “I still stand firmly with the idea that you should come home with one of us,” She looked over to Supana, “And while I know I was kind of a dick about it earlier, I think Supana is the most qualified of all of us to host you. Supa, any thoughts on that?”

At least she wasn’t being rude about it. Supana thought it over and nodded.

“Yeah, I think I’m comfortable enough with Arata now to do that.” She said and smiled bitterly. “I don’t live too far from here, so it’s perfect for us to just go there. I can host dinner for everyone if you guys aren’t busy after this.” The occult girl put her bag over her shoulder and stood up.

“I’ve got cram school at seven, so I should probably get going now.” Daku grabbed his bag too. “But it was nice sitting down and eating with you all today.” He extended a hand to Arata and she shook his hand. “Wonderful meeting you, Arata. Can’t wait to see you at school soon.”

“Wonderful meeting you too, Daku. I hope cram school goes well.” Arata wasn’t sure what he meant by ‘cram school’ exactly, but it sounded boring as all hell. Daku laughed dryly and rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, it’ll be as fun as watching paint dry.” He replied with a wave to the group. “Anyway, I’ll see you guys later.”

“Later, Daku.” Chojo gave his friend a two-finger salute as Daku pushed his chair in and left the area, thanking the woman at the taiyaki shop for the food on the way out.

“Right, so does that mean everyone else wants to come with Arata and I?” Supana asked. “I’ll make a ramen hot pot again if that sounds good.”

“Sounds fantastic!” Chojo grinned. “I already let mom know I’ll be home late, so it’s fine if we go now.”

“Yay!” Kokuma smiled radiantly. “Supana makes really good ramen bowls, Arata. You’re gonna be the happiest girl in Japan by the end of the night!”

Arata chuckled and gathered her food waste from the table. “I don’t doubt that. Thank you for the heads-up.” Sunlight beamed in through the large, open front of the taiyaki shop, casting a golden glow over the interior now that the clouds in the sky had finally melted away. It made the shop feel peaceful, and Arata could feel in her soul that here, surrounded by her new friends in the quiet evening light, she was finally at peace with the world. She was happy.

Without thinking, she walked over to the counter where the shop owner sat, reading a magazine. The old woman looked up at her, smiled, and asked “Yes, young lady? How can I help you?”

“I just wanted to say,” Arata said as sincerely as she could, “That the food my friends and I just had was wonderful, and you are a wonderful cook. Thank you very much.”

The shopkeeper beamed. “Well, thank you, dear! Come back whenever you’d like and I’ll be happy to serve you a taiyaki on the house.” She gave Arata a wink, her dark eyes glimmering with joy.

Kokuma approached the two, her school bag over her shoulder. “Thank you for the food, Mrs. Yukimura.”

“Oh, Kokuma. You’re such a kind young woman. Your mother must be so proud.” Mrs. Yukimura looked back and forth between the two girls. “Are you two friends?”

“Yeah!” Kokuma threw an arm around Arata’s shoulder proudly, causing the other to flinch in surprise. “She just came to our school today, so we’re helping her get acquainted with the town.”

“Oh, aren’t you all just the sweetest!” Yukimura praised. “I’m sure that...oh, what’s your name, deary?” The woman asked.

“Kurosawa Arata, ma’am.” She responding with a smile, her heart swelling with pride. She had a _name_ . She had _friends_. People were praising her already, and it hadn’t been a whole day yet! The joy she felt was insurmountable, completely unable to be described in words!

“Kurosawa! A lovely last name!” Kokuma had to bite her tongue to keep from cracking wise: ‘Thanks, she picked it herself!’. “I’m sure Kurosawa will be very happy in Akademi now that you nice young boys and girls have decided to become her friend.” The old woman’s smile was framed by an assortment of wrinkles all lining her face, neck, and hands, and Arata estimated the woman to be at least in her 50s.

“Yes, Mrs. Yukimura, I’m quite happy already.” Arata nodded. Chojo shifted impatiently and Shin wouldn’t get his face out of his phone, so the girls knew it was time to take their leave.

“Have a wonderful evening!” Kokuma waved to the elderly woman as the occult club walked out the door to the shop, each member bidding Mrs. Yukimura farewell. Yukimura waved to the young adults as the bell above the shop’s door rung once, then twice as the door closed, before silence overtook the shop completely.

Outside, everything was twice as beautiful. Arata was nearly overwhelmed by the beauty of the sunset. All the bright hues of pink, orange, yellow, and indigo blended together in the sky, with cream-colored clouds rippling through it here and there. It was the most beautiful sight she’d ever seen and she felt tears beginning to prick at the corner of her eyes.

“Arata, you’ve got the biggest, goofiest smile on your face right now.” Shin finally looked like he felt a little better, the slightest of smiles on his own face. Kurosawa wiped a tear from her eye, sniffling.

“Heh, I’m not used to being so overwhelmed by such beauty.” She admitted sheepishly, pacing a bit slowly behind her friends to take in the scene of the city in front of her. There weren’t as many people out now that the sun was falling behind the horizon, and cars were lesser in number, too. Every so often, though, a car or two would drive by the occult students and it always made Arata flinch.

“The sunset is quite pretty, I’ll give you that much.” Chojo remarked, walking casually with his arms over his head. “Scared of the cars, Kurosawa?”

“Shut up,” Arata pursed her lips and playfully decked Chojo on the shoulder. “I’m not used to that noise! In fact, I forgot just how big a car was.”

“You’ve forgotten the size of _cars_ , and yet you can see through a person’s behavior like it’s a piece of wet tissue paper.” Shin shook his head. “Good lord, your brain needs to get it together.”

Kurosawa shrugged her shoulders. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“So, Supana,” Kokuma began casually, putting an arm around Arata’s shoulders, “How much farther from your place are we?”

Supana glared at Kokuma in a way Arata didn’t quite understand, hesitating to speak for a moment before replying “We’re just down the street from it. Can you not hold onto Arata like that, you’re clearly making her uncomfortable.”

Arata stared in confusion. She wasn’t uncomfortable in the slightest. In fact, having Kokuma’s arm around her made her touch-starved self feel ecstatic, especially because touching was a way she felt closer to her friends without having to do anything else. She vocalized this: “What? I’m not uncomfortable at all.”, and Supana just looked away with a redness to her face that hadn’t been there before. It appeared her face was red, anyhow; Arata thought it was just the sunset on her face making it look that way. Kokuma stared at her friend for a bit with a blank expression before returning her attention to the new girl.

“So what class do you think is gonna be your favorite?” She asked, and Arata remembered the school registration forms in Kokuma’s school bag. “We’re gonna have to get you some supplies, you know.”

“She can use some of the stuff I’ve got at my place.” Supana cut in quickly. “I replaced my school bag not too long ago, so she can have my old one.”

“Well, isn’t that sweet of you!” Kokuma teased, causing the same redness to return to Supana’s cheeks. Yep, it was definitely real, and Arata couldn’t place why it was there.

“I mean, it’s only right. I don’t wanna waste old stuff, and she needs it more than I do, so…” Supana trailed off and fell silent once again. “You get the idea.”

    “Yeah.” Arata tried to remember what classes Akademi offered that seemed interesting to her. “I think science class will be fun, and cooking. I might pass out during gym, though. I don’t think I’m gonna like playing sports that much.” She laughed and the girls joined her.

    “Gym sucks.” Kokuma agreed. “The good news is, though, if you happen to get injured, the teacher will let you chill with the nurse every class until you get better. I started the year with a sprained knee and she was super understanding. I think you’ll like her, Arata.”

    “My question,” Chojo cut in, “Is how you can’t like gym. Gym’s the best, you don’t even have to do any classwork. It’s just running around for an hour.”

    “You know, not everyone has the energy levels of a golden retriever on crack, Tekina.” The short-haired girl rolled her one eye. “I prefer literature class. All we have to do is read a bit, write a bit, and we’re done for the day. Seriously, Arata, you’re gonna love it there.”

    “You don’t have to tell me twice.” Kurosawa grinned, her heart already throbbing with excitement at the prospect of being able to go to school again. “I guess we’ll just have to see what class clicks with me the most.”

    “We’re here.” Supana stopped the group in front of a large house. It had a black gate around the front, and through it, Arata could see it was a two-story home with a tan exterior with a black roof and matching black accents around the windows and general frame of the house. It was easily the nicest-looking of all the houses on this street, and everyone but Supana stared in amazement at it.

    “Woah!” Chojo’s eyes were wide. “Even after having been here before, I’m still surprised by how nice this house is, Supana!”

    “Mm.” Supana dug through her bag to retrieve the key she needed to unlock the gate. Her eyes looked empty, like this place brought her significantly less joy than it did her friends, who were eager to go inside.

    “What’s wrong?” Arata asked, compassionately putting a hand on her shoulder. Supana flinched but didn’t try to brush her away.

    “Well…” She sighed. “It’s just that this house is gonna feel really empty once you all leave.”

    “Don’t worry about that.” Shin reassured her with a sympathetic smile. “You manage to live here every day, and now that Arata’s with you, you won’t be so alone anymore.”

    “What about your parents? Aren’t they home?” Arata questioned as Supana pushed the gate open. Her friend paused, staring off into space with a look of hurt in her eyes.

    “Don’t worry about them,” She responded, ushering the group inside and closing the gate behind her. “Let’s just go in so I can get dinner started.”

****

    The house’s interior was as fantastic as Arata imagined it to be and then some. The moment they walked in, Arata was greeted with a staircase to the front of her and two hallways off to each side. Supana lead them down the left hallway, past a room blocked off by a sliding screen door and into a kitchen with marble counters and an island in the center, two chairs pushed up to the side of it. Near the left side of the room was a table and several chairs arranged about it. Closer to the counter was a refrigerator, and across from that was an oven and a stove. The kitchen was spotless. All the surfaces shined like polished gemstones, and Arata couldn’t take her eyes off the glimmering stone surfaces all around her.

    “You guys, go ahead and sit down. Work on your homework or something. I’ll get dinner started.” Supana retrieved a few packages of noodles from a cabinet by the stove, as well as some vegetables and a package of meat from the fridge.

    “Come sit with me, Arata~!” Kokuma and the new girl sat together at the large table, while Shin and Chojo sat across from them. They pulled out some papers and books from their bags as Supana started filling a pot with water from across the kitchen.

    “This is a very Western-looking kitchen, Supana.” Shin remarked. Much about this house looked Western, in fact. Supana only nodded mutely in response as she started to heat the water. Arata suddenly felt bad that she was doing all the work and offered to help.

    “Sure.” Supana smiled. “Actually, while the water’s heating up, I’ll take you to my room so you can get some clothes to change into. We seem to be about the same size, after all.” She turned to her friends at the table. “Don’t let the house burn down.”

    Supana lead her friend to the staircase, then lead her up it to a landing area attached to a hallway. Down the hallway, there were four rooms with the doors ajar so the girls could see into them. There was a recreational room, a clean white guest bedroom, a large master bedroom that looked like it hadn’t been touched in ages, and Supana’s room.

That was the room that stuck out the most. Up until that point, the house had a general color palette of neutral blues, greys, blacks and browns, but the occult girl’s bedroom was painted a byzantium purple. White fairy lights were strung about the perimeter of the ceiling. There was a messy bed with a similarly toned purple bed sheet and pillows on it on the right wall, some piles of clothes on the floor, and a white desk pressed against the back wall with a closed laptop and some unlit black candles on the corners of it. A corkboard above the bed displayed Polaroid images of Supana and some friends attached with colorful pins, and there was a white nightstand with a lamp shaped like a purple lily. This, out of all of the rooms Arata had seen in the house, was the only one that looked like it had actually been lived in.

    “Wow, Supa,” Arata oohed as she stepped in the room. “This is beautiful.”

    “Heh.” Supana turned on the bedside lamp and the fairy lights. “You’ve said that about nearly everything so far?”

    “Can you blame me?” Her friend replied, sitting down on the bed. She sunk down into it quite easily and found it very comfortable. “Everything up to this point’s been so, so much better than the void.”

    “I’d imagine so.” Supana opened her closet, which was a set of two doors opposite the bed that opened to reveal a dresser with a mirror above it. She dug through the dresser and pulled out some undergarments, a black t-shirt with four women holding guitars on it, and a pair of grey sweatpants, throwing them at her friend. “Here. Get changed into these while I go check on the pot of water.”

    “Oh.” Arata turned the clothes over in her hands, admiring how soft and clean they were. “Of course. I’ll be down in just a moment.” Supana left the room to give her friend the space she needed, closing the door behind her, and Arata promptly changed out of the school uniform. She took the time to admire herself in Supana’s mirror, turning side to side a few times to see how the clothes fit her figure. All in all, she thought she looked good. The one thing that bothered Arata was the fact that her high pigtails didn’t seem to fit her now.

    “Well, I suppose I could fix that.” She mused, untying them. “It’s just hair, after all.”

****

    “Arata, you look fantastic!” Kokuma gasped as her friend walked back into the kitchen. “The low pigtails are a nice change, too!”

    Arata’s hair now hung over her shoulders with the hair ties at about halfway through her pigtails. She smiled proudly and tossed one of them over her shoulders, making Kokuma laugh heartily.

“Jesus,” She wiped a tear from her eye. “You’re too much. Is that Supana’s old ‘Scandal’ t-shirt?”

    “Yeah, it is. You still listen to them, Supa?” Shin asked, looking over at the girl who was stirring a steaming pot of food.

    “Duh. They’re the best girl group in all of Japan.” Supana responded with a laugh. “You will pry those girls out of my cold, dead hands.”

    “Ooh, edgy!” Chojo put some papers back inside a binder. “Personally, I’m more of a B’z kind of guy, you know?”

    “Didn’t realize you were into boy bands, Chojo.” Kokuma smiled smugly, taking a drink from a cup of water in her hand. Chojo’s face pinked.

    “Hey, that’s not true!” He blurted, inciting a laugh from everyone in the kitchen.

    “So when are your parents coming home, Supana?” Arata asked, sitting back down next to Kokuma. An awkward, tense silence fell over the kitchen again and the same sadness in Supana’s eyes from earlier returned.

    “Hey, a word of advice for you since you haven’t picked up on it by now,” Shin whispered across the table to Kurosawa, “Don’t talk about her parents with her, especially her dad.”

    “Why?”

    “Sore spot.” Shin sat back in his chair. “Just don’t do it.”

    “Dinner’s ready.” Supana announced flatly, pulling some bowls from a cupboard. “Help yourselves.”

****

    “Thank you for the food.”

Dinner went by slowly and awkwardly. Nobody said a word, and Arata couldn’t even bring herself to comment on how delicious the food was. The only thing warm about the setting of the room now was the ramen bowls sitting in front of everyone, which were being quickly devoured by the hungry high schoolers sitting at the table. At the very least, Arata was grateful to have been able to partake in the food while it lasted.

“Thank you for the meal,” Shin got up and took his schoolbag from the floor. “But it’s time for me to go.”

“See you tomorrow.” Supana hadn’t looked up from her bowl the entire time, a blank expression on her face.

“...Feel better, Supa. And Arata, see you again at Akademi.” Shin gave the occult girl a pat on the back, discarded his bowl and utensils in the sink, and left. The sound of the door closing behind him echoed through the house.

“I should be going, too.” Chojo stood up.

“Yeah, same here.” Kokuma agreed. “Thank you for the food.”

“Thank you both for the company.” Supana stood up and gave her friends each a hug. “I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

“Mmhm.” Chojo nodded. “Can’t wait to see you in school, Arata!”

“Yeah, it’ll be wonderful seeing you again soon, too.” Arata stood from her place and gave Chojo a hug too.

“Bye, Supa. See you later, Arata.” Kokuma and Arata shared a hug as well. “I hope your registration goes well.” Kokuma put her bag over her shoulder and left, talking quietly with Chojo about something the other two couldn’t hear. The door echoed once again when it closed, and that’s when Arata finally understood what her friend had meant by the house feeling empty once everyone left.

“I suppose you’d like me to talk about my family now.” Supana broke the silence between them, gathering the empty dishes from the table.

“Only if you’d like to.” Her friend replied, taking up the cups. “Here, let me help you.”

“It’s fine.” The occult girl insisted, but it was too late to stop her now. Arata went ahead and put the used items in the sink. “Oh. Okay then.” She sighed and put the bowls in her hand in too. “Let’s sit in the living room. We’ll talk there.”

“Alright.” As her friend led her back to the staircase, Arata realized how loud their footsteps were on the floor even though they weren’t wearing shoes. They really were alone in this massive house, weren’t they? It was the first time in a while that Arata felt genuinely intimidated. Supana brought them to the room which was originally closed off by the sliding screen door and opened it to reveal a large room with a tatami floor and a floor table in the middle. A few bean bag chairs were on one wall of the room, and opposite them was a wall-mounted TV. Supana sat down in one of the bean bags and patted the one next to her, motioning for her friend to sit.

Arata did so cautiously. “I’m sorry if I upset you earlier.”

“You did, both times you mentioned my parents.” Supana smiled bitterly. “But it’s fine. I can forgive you pretty easily compared to most people, I think.” She sighed and slumped back in the chair. “Anyway, I’m sure you’re probably wondering when my parents will come home.” She paused for a moment to build the tension between them. “They’re not.”

“What?!” Arata gasped. “Why?!”

“Well, my mom’s dead, so that’s one reason.” Supana looked up at the ceiling, staring off. “Got cervical cancer and died because the doctors kept telling her it was STDs and that she had to quit sleeping around. They refused to even test her for chlamydia the first time, and it came back positive, so that’s what they stuck with even after the initial infection was cured until she finally got a female doctor who did a pap smear on her and the results came in saying she basically only had a few months to live at best.”

Anger boiled in the pit of Arata’s stomach.

“They ignored your mother’s symptoms...in favor of saying she had an STD?” Her fists involuntarily balled up, and her teeth gritted together. “Did they even _try_ doing tests?”

“Nah. Just put her on all sorts of drugs, told her to take painkillers, and sent her on her way.” Supana sounded so casual talking about this, and yet there was a tension in her voice that told Arata she was just as pissed as she was. “Of course, this was the early 2000s and she had all male doctors. I dunno how long it’s been since you’ve seen a doctor but the ones around here are incompetent as all hell, though I will admit they’ve gotten better than they were when she passed away.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Arata leapt to her feet. “They just let your mom die like that?! That’s insufferable! How old were you?”

“Uh...god, I wanna say I was about a year or two old when she kicked the bucket. I barely remember her, and dad only ever told me about her once. I can’t even find a picture of her in his stuff.”

“What…?” Arata’s faint memories of her dysfunctional family sounded fantastic compared to this. “He doesn’t even mourn his wife?”

“I don’t know if they ever actually married. Like I said, dad and I only discussed it once and that was pretty recently.” Supana took her friend by the wrist and gently pulled, telling her to sit down. “I’m not too sad about losing someone I didn’t know that much, nor do I really care to know given the fact that she’s, y’know, six feet under. As for dad, he doesn’t really come home anymore. The last time he visited was about, uh, six weeks ago. Stayed for three days, said he had another business trip to go on, then left. Worst three days of my life.” She cringed. “It was so _awkward_. You could tell he didn’t even really want to be there.”

“Do you think he even actually goes on business trips?” Arata questioned, her heart now heavy with sadness for this girl. She had no idea her home life was this harsh, this lonely. Arata felt herself beginning to feel a newfound respect for the shy occult girl.

Supana nodded. “I know that’s what he’s doing, don’t worry. He’s employed by the same dude who basically owns Akademi, the man behind Saikou Corp.”

Arata flinched. The name rung a bell, but she wasn’t sure where she’d heard that name before. “What’s his name?”

“I don’t know. Nobody does, really, but dad works really close with him. Even he won’t tell me his name though.” The occult girl huffed. “He makes an insane amount of cash from it though, enough for him to be able to afford paying rent on this place, pay for whatever I want, and then some. It’s crazy. I feel so spoiled, Ara, and that’s not a good way to feel. I feel like dad doesn’t even know I exist sometimes and he tries to cover that up with money.”

Supana groaned in frustration and buried her face in her hands. “I have a feeling he’s not even gonna know you’re staying with me, either! Hell, I could buy an apartment for you with my savings and he wouldn’t notice, nor would he care!” She flopped back in the beanbag, tears in her eye. “It sucks, Ara. I know most people would say otherwise but it sucks to _me_ . I don’t wanna live like this anymore. I’ve got friends in school, I’ve got friends online, and in town, but I don’t have _anybody_ here. I don’t wanna be so alone in the one place I’m not supposed to be.”

Arata froze, unsure of how to react. “Hey,” She said, outstretching her arms and hoping it was the right move to make, “It’s okay, Supana. You aren’t alone anymore. I’m here.”  

It was indeed the right thing to do. Supana threw her arms around Arata, pulling her so close their collarbones touched and their heads were over the other’ shoulders. “Thank you,” She breathed, choking back a sob. “Thank you so much.”

Arata tightened her arms around her friend, closing her eyes and embracing her. “You’re welcome.” She whispered into her neck. This was nice. Every little thing about this embrace was nice. It was far more intimate than the ones she’d shared with Kokuma and Chojo; she could feel Supana’s heartbeat, her shaking breaths as the other girl tried not to cry. Supana was warm, very warm, and she didn’t seem to mind Arata’s low body temperature either. There was also the lingering smell of flowery perfume about her. Arata could swear it was wisteria. It was so wonderful that she didn’t want to pull away, but she had to, so she did.

“Sorry I unloaded so much emotional baggage on you just now.” Supana sniffed and wiped her eye. “Uh, if you’ve got any you want to dump any on me, you can just go ahead.”

“No, it’s okay, really.” Arata shifted in the beanbag. “I don’t think I really want any.” She paused and thought about it for a moment. “Actually…”

“Hm?” Supana leaned back in her bean bag.

“I can’t remember any of my old life, and it really sucks.” The other girl rubbed her arm awkwardly. Supana grinned.

“That’s what I’m talking about.” She praised, “Go ahead, get it all out.”

“I can’t remember any of my old life, a-and I don’t really know who I am as a person, and I think...I think that if I ever saw my dad again, I’d punch him in the face! Because he ruined my old life and took everything away from me!” Arata shouted.

“Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about!” Supana held up her hand for a high five, giggling. “Here’s to having shitty dads and lots of emotional baggage!”

“Y-yeah!” Arata slapped her hand with her own. “Here’s to that!” She didn’t know why, but all of a sudden, she was laughing and laughing _hard_. Her chest felt so light and every last vein in her body filled with serotonin, and she and Supana laughed carelessly together like children at a sleepover for what felt like hours until they finally came down from their emotional highs and looked back at each other.

“You know,” Supana reached over and held Arata’s hand, “I have a feeling we’re gonna be really great friends from now on.”

Arata grinned. “Yeah.” She agreed, squeezing her hand. “I agree.”

Something deep inside the girls felt like things would turn out slightly different, however.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, and now we finally get into the SupArata-themed content. Can't wait to finish the next update. :)
> 
> Thank you very much for reading this far, lovelies.


	10. nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shin displays some odd behaviors & the new girl finally gets to see the real Occult Club president face-to-face. Spoiler alert: it's not pretty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ey uh I hope my really lengthy chapters & notes sections aren't a bother to anyone. I just have a lot to say per chapter and my natural writing style demands that everything be in as much detail as possible lmao
> 
> I hope that's enjoyable for you all ^^;
> 
> ALSO tumblr doesn't show posts w links in the tag anymore!! so I can't use that to advertise my fics!! :))) way to go, staff.
> 
> if you like this fic, pretty please tell your other friends in the fandom about it. I literally have no other way of like,, getting this fic advertised so doing so would be a massive help to me. thank you so much lovelies, I sincerely hope you enjoy what this next chapter has in store :)

It was now 9:30 at night. Arata was with Supana in her room, finishing the paperwork needed to register her as a student at Akademi. Supana had finally changed into a black tank top and navy blue basketball shorts. Her laptop was playing some relaxing music without any words that was making her friend feel sleepy, though Arata was able to force herself awake out of pure stubbornness and a throbbing excitement in her chest to finally,  _ finally _ be accepted into school again. A single black candle on the desk had been lit, filling the room with the smell of vanilla.

“Hey Supana,” Arata pointed out the last box on the page. “It’s asking for my parents’ contact info, but in this world I don’t think I even have parents. What do we put?”

“Huh. Didn’t even think about that.” Supana thought for a moment. “Let’s see...for the names, I’m very tempted to just fill myself in as ‘mom’ and leave the dad part blank. After all, I think technically the occult club as a whole is your ‘parent’, wouldn’t you say?” She teased.

Arata gasped, dark eyes going wide. “Oh, wow! You’re right!” She giggled. “Should I start calling you ‘mom’ now, then?”

Her friend chuckled, rolling her eye. She hoped that was a joke. “That won’t be necessary.” She replied. “I think I’ll just write your mom in as, uh...how does the name Kanako Kurosawa sound?”

“I think it works.” Arata nodded approvingly. Supana wrote in the name, as well as a phone number before she put the paperwork back in the manila folder it came in. “Well, that should do it. I’m absolutely  _ exhausted _ , so I’ll get ready for bed now. How are you holding up?” She asked, putting the folder back in her bag.

“Uh, I dunno. I think I’m tired, but…” Arata thought it over for a moment. “If I wanted to stay up longer, I probably could.” Just then, she involuntarily yawned for a solid two and a half seconds, after which a wave of pent-up exhaustion crashed over her body. “Oh.” She blushed in embarrassment and rubbed an eye. “Nevermind.”

Supana snickered. “You can sleep in that guest bedroom in the hallway. Before you go, lemme get you that old school bag I said I’d give you.” She got up, went over to her closet, and dug through it for a bit before retrieving a slightly beat-up looking black shoulder bag. There were some lapel pins attached to the shoulder strap, including but not limited to a circular one with a picture of a ouija board and the caption “You’re Screwed” engraved into it.

“Here. It’s actually my bag from junior high that I used up until last year, but I figured it would work for you.” Supana explained, holding the bag out to her friend. Arata’s eyes widened and the other girl then realized the bag had a galaxy print on the front flap. Horrified, she held it back. “Oh. Oh, shit, nevermind. Arata, I’m so sorry, I can order a different one online or something--”

“No, no. It’s okay, really.” Kurosawa insisted, taking the bag and turning it over a few times in her hands. “I...I love it, Supana. It’s so  _ pretty _ .” She grinned. “The galaxy print is a nice touch too.”

“Huh. I thought you’d hate it after...you know. All the time you spent in the ‘void’ or whatever.” Supana’s good eye fell to the floor and she shuffled her feet awkwardly.

“It’s alright, Supa.” Arata placed a hand on her arm reassuringly. “To me, this design...it’s a lovely thing it itself, but it’s sort of boring having it as the only thing around you all the time.” She put the bag over her shoulder to test out how it felt and nodded approvingly. “I think in a way it’s almost a souvenir of what I’ve been through, you know?”

“I was just thinking the same thing.” Supana laughed in relief. “Well, in any case, I’m happy you like it.”

“Thank you, Supana.” Without thinking, Arata embraced her friend again. Supana felt her face heat up. This girl was a lot touchier than she’d anticipated, and awkwardly she tried to return the hug, her hands awkwardly resting themselves on Arata’s lower back. She hoped that didn’t make her feel uncomfortable. That wasn’t to say Supana didn’t enjoy the hugs herself, but she wondered if Arata understood the implications of being so touchy with her female friends. To be fair, Arata was a bit socially inept and likely very touch starved, so in a way the behavior was justifiable from her, but even so…

Arata pulled away from the hug first once again. “What time do you usually get up?”

“About 6:00.” Supana yawned and stretched her arms over her head. “If you want me to wake you up, I will, but you might get bored being here all alone after I’m gone.”

“It’s fine. I might as well start getting used to being up so early anyway.” Her friend shrugged. “Well, goodnight, Supana. I look forward to many more nights with you like this.” Arata smiled warmly, and in the dim light of the room, Supana could see the other’s dark eyes twinkle with gratitude. It was then it hit the occult girl just how much she’d done for this stranger, this girl who’d just spontaneously appeared in their club room that day like something straight from a crazy anime. Supana had been completely blind to Arata’s existence until mere hours ago, and yet, she’d given her a name and clothes and food and shelter all without much of a second thought. Sure, she’d been a bit nervous to talk to her initially, but when she realized this newcomer into their world needed help, she’d known from the start to do the right thing and be her helping hand. Seeing the fruits of that effort, she supposed, was what was making her heart feel fluttery and excited in that moment. Finally she had someone to be by her side here in this lonely house, someone to keep her company when her own father couldn’t even do that for her.

“Yeah.” Arata’s smile was so warm and welcoming unlike what Supana was used to seeing, to the extent that it made it hard for the occult girl to breathe. She had to get her friend out before Arata noticed her behaving strangely. “I feel the same way. Goodnight, sleep well.” She quickly turned her friend around and ushered her to the door. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask me.”

“Of course.” Arata nodded briefly. “See you in the--”

Supana impulsively closed the door before she could finish talking.

“...oh.” The occult girl froze when she heard her friend mumble that in such a sad tone and her heart nearly broke for her.

“S-sorry!” She apologized through the door, “I-I just need to be getting to sleep now, that’s all!”

“Oh.” Arata’s muffled voice replied. “I understand.” There was a pause followed by the sound of footsteps walking down the hallway and a door closing. Supana let out a massive breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.

“Way to go,” She chastised herself, heart thudding against her rubs walked over to her desk to shut her laptop off for the night. “Nearly made yourself look like a total jerk.”

Supana blew out the candle on her desk and flopped down on her bed. While she’d worked on her homework earlier that evening, Arata had sat on the end of the bed chatting with her and asking nonstop about school. She had a surprising amount of questions for someone who’d apparently been watching her from space-time or whatever: “What are your classes like?”, “Are they boring?”, “Do you get along with your classmates well?” being a few that her new housemate had thrown at her. The last question especially had thrown Supana off; she thought it was plain to see that the answer to that was a big, fat no. 

Outside of the occult club, Amai Odayaka, and that one girl Midori Gurin who seemed to get along swell with everybody, Supana didn’t exactly get along well with her peers. In fact, as a member of the occult club, she’d actually been the subject of bullying for a while. One of the biggest things she got teased about was the eyepatch she wore every day. Kokuma received similar if not worse treatment for her eye bandage, in fact, as the entire school seemed to be convinced that the entire club wore their eye accessories to get attention. While it was true that Chojo wore his hair the way he did for the hell of it and that Daku’s glasses were just naturally a bit of a pain to clean on one side, Supana in particular had a very good reason for wearing hers that she didn’t like to talk about. Apparently, though, not wanting to divulge her personal traumas to other people was enough to make them believe she was faking all of it. How wonderful, right?

The occult girl untied her hair, placing the skull clips on her nightstand by her alarm clock, and sighed deeply. She hated this part of the night, the one where she had to take her eye patch off as part of getting ready for bed. She’d tried leaving it on before, but it had been far too uncomfortable to sleep in, so she was forced to remove it. Supana reached behind her head, undid her eye patch, and removed it slowly as if doing so would make her forget it was gone at all. She exhaled, trying to steady herself, and put it on the nightstand. Then, she opened her eyes.

Her vision changed drastically, another thing she hated about taking the patch off. Now, she could see to her right, but only splotches of light and color were discernible on that side. It was utterly detestable. She’d rather have not had an eye on that side at all, and yet here she was, staring up at the ceiling with two eyes exposed. One was healthy and one was hideously deformed beyond repair. Actually, Supana was surprised Arata hadn’t asked about the reason why she wore the eyepatch in the time they’d spent together. Naturally, she would have evaded the question had it come up, much like what she did when one of the occult club members asked about it. The fact that it didn’t come at all, though, was a relief to the occult girl. Despite the ‘feeling dump’ of sorts that had taken place between them earlier, she didn’t quite feel comfortable divulging the reason for her deformity to this girl yet. Not quite.

Supana sat up and faced the cork board above her bed. There were several pictures of her and her friends pinned there taken at various locations; the taiyaki shop, different parts of the school, and the mall to name a few. All of them that included Supana herself in the photos showed her wearing her eyepatch, all except for the one photo hidden out of view. Supana removed the corkboard from the wall, revealing one final printed photo pinned to the wall. The girl pressed the board into her bed, resting her arms on top of the plastic border surrounding it, and stared at the image intently. It showed herself as a little girl, her father, and a boy about a year or two older than her that resembled Supana and her father greatly. All three were smiling, Supana and the boy each holding an ice cream cone in one hand. Underneath it, she’d written on the wall in pencil:

****

_ “Daisuke, Supana, and Kenta Churu. 15 July 2010.” _

****

God. Where had the time gone?

“Ah, those days,” She said out loud to no one in particular. “Before dad became too busy to come home.” Supana’s attention shifted to the boy in the photo, and one hand unconsciously snaked up to run its fingertips over the lid of her wounded eye. “Before Kenta…” She stopped.

As if snapping out of a trance, she replaced the corkboard and laid back down. “Ugh. I suppose,” She mused to herself, shutting off her fairy lights, “My eye’s not the only thing I don’t want to talk about with her yet.”

********  
  


_ Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Be _

****

Supana’s hand slammed the ‘off’ button on her alarm clock with the force of a small semi truck. Groaning, she slowly sat up and opened her eyes, stretching her arms over her head. Her upper vertebrae and shoulders popped in a satisfying way and she sighed, resting her arms and checking the time. Six a.m., as expected. Looks like today would be another normal day for her. Supana walked over to her closet, opened it up, and…

“...hey, where did I put that school bag from last year?”

Suddenly, yesterday afternoon came back to her in a flash so abrupt she almost had to hold onto her dresser to keep from stumbling into the doorframe. “Oh my god,” She gasped, remembering in her groggy haze that she now had another human being living in her home with her, one the club had _summoned from thin air using nothing but the meat of a chicken_ literally the day before. “Arata!”

Stumbling all about her bedroom, Supana rushed to get dressed, brush out her hair, and re-do her eye patch before her friend in the other room woke up. She nearly forgot one of her socks in the rush, quickly tugging it on her foot before hurrying out of the room to check on Arata. Hopefully the day before hadn’t been some sort of elaborate dream.

Throwing open the door to the guest room, Supana saw that it had been no dream. There, lying asleep in the bedroom that had sat unused for ages, was the same Arata Kurosawa from yesterday. Supana gasped softly; not only was it real, but her housemate was out like a rock. For a split second she almost thought the sleeping girl was dead. Her hair was so dark against the white bedsheets and her skin so pale by comparison that she looked less like a human and more like a doll. She barely seemed to be breathing. Slowly, the occult girl approached the side of the bed, careful not to wake her sleeping housemate prematurely, and she reached out to touch her on the shoulder. Surprisingly, Arata’s body was cold just like yesterday despite her being underneath a warm comforter, but Supana brushed it off as being another oddity of hers and shook the sleeping girl awake.

“Good morning, Arata.” She whispered as her friend began to open her eyes. “It’s six-fifteen. Time to wake up.”

Arata stirred ever so slightly, eyes fluttering from closed to shut, then shot up in bed without warning. “Oh my god, you’re real!” She exclaimed, throwing her arms around the other girl. Supana groaned.

“I-I think it’s a bit too early for that kind of hugging, Arata…” Jeez, this girl seemed to be bursting with energy. Arata immediately let go with a yawn.

“Sorry” She smiled sleepily. “I just woke up and thought for a moment there that coming to life was all a dream. But here I am…” She sniffled and a tear formed in one of her eyes. Supana brushed it away quickly.

“No, no, it’s fine.” She rubbed her arm. “Go ahead and take a shower. There’s a bathroom in the master bedroom. I’m gonna go make breakfast, what do you want to eat?”

Arata thought for a moment. “...I’m not sure. Whatever you’re having, I guess.” She responded, getting out of bed. “I think I left your spare uniform in your room last night.”

“Good thing you don’t have to worry about wearing it just yet.” Supana replied. “I’ll be downstairs.”

Arata watched as her friend left the room and headed downstairs, trying to wrap her head around what had just happened. The first thing she’d seen that morning was Supana Churu, a member of the occult club she’d only dreamed of meeting in person until yesterday, and now they were living under the same roof. Once again, the invincible ‘on-top-of-the-world’ sort of feeling returned to her as she stretched out next to the bed and remade it before going down to where the master bedroom was to use the bathroom.

She almost didn’t recognize what the shower was when she saw it. It looked like nothing more than a glass box with a dial in the wall, a hole in the floor to drain the water, and another box in the ceiling. Arata carefully approached it and turned the dial, jumping in surprise when freezing water poured from the ceiling and onto her arm.

‘Wow!’ Arata thought in admiration, ‘Supana’s really kind to let me shower in this!’

She stripped down, turned the water temperature up, and got in. Holy  _ shit _ , did that feel immaculate. Water cascaded down Arata’s body, through her thick black hair and onto the cold tiles beneath her bare feet. She shut her eyes in bliss, letting the warmth permeate her entire body. Heated water on cold flesh created the epitome of a religious experience, Arata concluded, opening her eyes to look about for some soap. She found a bottle of clear ‘blue ginger’ shampoo and took it; opening the bottle and giving the substance inside a sniff made her reel backwards in surprise. It smelled strong enough to knock a grown man out, but it would have to do for getting the job done. The shampoo was quite cold when she poured it in her hand and lathered it into her hair, but in a relaxing way. Contrasted with the feeling of the shower floor beneath her, Arata was in sensory heaven to the point where she completely lost track of time until she heard a knock at the bathroom door.

“Arata?” Supana called. “I’m going out now.”

“Oh, shoot!” Arata gasped, realizing she’d just spaced out for an unknown amount of time. “What time is it?!”

“6:35.” Her friend replied. “I left some food on the table for you. I’ll probably come home early today, so I’ll see you at around 3:30, okay?”

“Oh. Uh, sure thing.” Arata shut the water off. “Have a great day, Supana!”

“...thank you.” For some reason, the word caught the occult girl off guard. How long had it been since she’d heard those words? “I’ll see you later, then.”

Supana walked away from the door and back down the hallway, leaving her friend to get out of the shower and look for a towel. She found a fluffy white one in a closet on the other side of the room and wrapped it around her thin frame, shivering the entire way.

‘Good god, has it suddenly become winter?!’ She wondered, stumbling back across the bathroom to redress. Arata threw her clothes back on, teeth chattering, and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She thought it was funny how her wet hair fell about her face like fresh ink poured from a bottle. In the warm morning sunlight, her skin almost seemed to have a warmer undertone to it than usual, and once again Arata’s heart swelled with happiness at how lucky she was to have been given a human form.

Arata bounded down the stairs and practically skipped into the kitchen, noting how quiet and empty the house was. Most of the lights were off, giving the house an eerie vibe, but occasionally there would be a window or two in the wall with the blinds open and golden beams of sunlight stretched across the floor. A few times, Arata’s feet were warmed by her passing over the sections of floor highlighted by the light, sending shivers up her spine. Walking into the kitchen, she immediately noticed two things: a plate of food on the table and a note on yellow paper placed next to it. Confused, Arata picked up the note first.

****

“ _ Arata-chan: _

__ _ I hope you enjoy the pancakes and egg I left for you, even though the pancakes are premade. The password for my laptop is occultrock2010. Use it to register an account on SaikouNetwork.com. It’s a social media site that everyone at Akademi uses, and I’m sure it’ll be relevant to you once you’re officially enrolled. (my handle is @pagan_sushi, you should add me & the rest of the gang while you’re online.) Also, you might want to register a school Google account for submitting assignments and such. _

****

_ Please don’t burn down my house. _

_ -Supana _ ”

****

‘How sweet.’ Arata thought with a smile, pocketing the note for later. She then turned her attention to the food. It looked fantastic, and the growl in her stomach that followed brought upon a wrenching pain in her gut that told her it was time to eat. Today, she thought as she sat down to the food her friend made for her, was going to be a very interesting first full day of life.

********  
  


“Shin-kun! Wait up!” Supana waved as she ran up to her friend who was walking into the train station. The older boy turned around to look at her with a start as though he’d been in a state of deep thought.

“Good morning, Supana.” He greeted his female friend as she stood next to him on the train station platform. “How’s Arata doing?”

“She slept like a rock last night and took a really long shower this morning.” Supana replied. “Had lots of questions about school, too, but strangely didn’t ask for too much personal information. I think we’re really gonna get along with her this year.” She smiled slightly too for only a brief moment. “I just hope she doesn’t fall victim to...you know who.”

Shin groaned. “God _ damn _ it. I forgot about those girls, the bullies. They’re gonna tear her apart if they catch her hanging out with us.”

“I know.” Supana shook her head. “I feel terrible for her already. Shin, she treats me like an angel sent from the gods. Her heart’s probably made from solid gold. I wonder if she already knows about what shitheads those bullies actually are underneath their ‘adorable’ and ‘sweet’ exteriors.” She rolled her eye. “In fact, I wonder if she knows about the fact that they’re bullies at all.”

“What do you mean? Of course she knows, there’s no way she  _ doesn’t _ . Don’t you remember her saying she knew all of us at school down to a T?” The train pulled up to the station and two got on, opting to stand by the door. Shin held onto one of the hand grips hanging from the ceiling and Supana pressed her back to the wall.

“I heard that, don’t get me wrong.” The occult girl lowered her voice to a whisper. “I just think, you know, what if she’s never observed them bully us directly or something like that. I, uh, I don’t quite understand the logistics of her whole ‘interdimensional observation’ thing.”

“What, you didn’t ask?” Shin’s eyebrows raised.

“No, I didn’t know how to bring it up!” Supana hissed. “I mean, how do you pop that question to someone?! ‘Yeah, hey, you know the whole ‘seeing through worlds’ thing? How do you do that?’”

“Exactly like that!” Shin replied. “Anyway, I need you to tell me what you think of this.” From his school bag, the boy pulled out a black box with a red lid and cracked the top open. Inside was an assortment of small desserts varying in shape and color.

“Woah.” Supana’s eye widened. “There’s dango, mochi...are those  _ chocolate covered strawberries  _ in there?” She gasped and her friend’s face pinked. “...Are these for Amai?”

“Don’t say it too loudly.” Shin mumbled.

“Oh my god. You’re insane.” The occult boy’s face darkened as he slipped the box back in his bag. Supana noticed an identical box in the bag as well but figured that was just Shin’s lunch. “After what happened yesterday,  _ you’re _ the one giving gifts to  _ her _ ?”

“Cut me a break, Supana.” Shin huffed. “What Arata said about her meltdown yesterday stuck with me. I’m worried about Amai now and haven’t been able to stop thinking about her...I even asked a few of the other club leaders if they’d noticed anything off about her and all the answers were no.” He paused. “Well, except for Budo. He said he thought Amai looked a little glum but we both chalked it up to her being sick.”

“Huh.” The train screeched to a halt and the doors opened, allowing the passengers to step off. “You and Budo seem to talk a lot.” Supana remarked and Shin averted his eyes from her.

“Yeah. We’ve actually known each other for a really long time, but we don’t talk so much anymore now.” He rubbed the side of his arm. “I kinda wish we did though…” He looked like he had more to say but shut his mouth as the two students rounded a corner and saw their school just down the road. Out of the corner of her eye, Supana saw a blur of black and tan creep up on Shin before suddenly grabbing him by the shoulders.

“ _ BOO _ !”

“JESUS CHRIST!” Shin jumped like he’d been stuck with a hot poker and nearly dropped his bag. “Budo, what the hell?!”

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear!” The martial artist declared proudly. Supana cackled and clutched her sides.  “I didn’t scare you too badly, did I, Shin?”

“Not really.” Shin mumbled, rubbing his arm again. Budo put an arm over Shin’s shoulder and Supana saw her friend’s face pink like it had on the train when she mentioned Amai.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I just heard my name and figured hey, why not give my old friend a surprise hello?” The martial artist smiled apologetically. 

“That’s alright.” Shin paused, looked over at Supana, and looked back to Budo. “Actually, I was going to try to see you today anyway. I, um, I have something for you.” 

“Oh!” Budo’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Show me!”

Shin shifted uncomfortably. “Um...not in front of  _ her _ .” His eyes darted from Budo to Supana to Budo again. “Sorry.” Supana’s abdomen twisted inside, a pang of shock and jealousy slapping her in the face.  _ That _ was totally out of left field for Shin. She understood if whatever they were talking about was something private, but to word it like that! The nerve of him! She bit the inside of her cheek.

“Ah. That’s alright, I understand!” The three saw some members of the martial arts club down the street, shouting and waving for Budo to come join them. “Sorry, I’ve got to go now! Text me when you want to show me the thing, Shin!” He ran off to meet his friends, leaving a confused Supana with a somewhat uncomfortable-looking Shin.

“What was that about, Shin?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. Shin looked entirely dead inside, his eyes glazed over as if lost in thought and his shoulders slumped forward.

“Hm? Oh…” The boy waved it off. “It was nothing. Don’t worry about it.” He sounded less like there was nothing else afoot and more like he just didn’t want to talk about it, so Supana let an awkward silence fall over the two as they walked into the schoolyard.

“Hey, guys.” Daku joined the two, Kokuma by his side. “Where’s Chojo?”

Shin replied, “He texted me earlier saying he has an optometrist appointment this morning, so he won’t be here until about halfway through morning classes.”

“Hah! Maybe he’s gonna get nerd glasses like Daku!” Kokuma giggled and Daku gasped. 

“How dare you! They’re not  _ nerd _ glasses, in fact I think they’re quite distinguished!” He put a hand to his chest and the occult club laughed amongst themselves at Daku’s dramatic reaction. Supana became aware of another presence laughing as well, but this laugh wasn’t as lighthearted. In fact, it sounded quite nasty. She glanced over her shoulder and saw a group of five tanned girls with brightly colored hair, sneering at them and snapping pictures of the group on their phones.

“Ugh.” She huffed, turning back around. “Guys, they’re at it again.”

“The bullies?” Daku rolled his eyes. “God, they just don’t quit, do they?”

Supana shrugged, her head a bit lower than usual now. “Let’s just change our shoes and go to the clubroom.”

****

At lunchtime, Supana was spending time with her friends in the clubroom. Strangely, Shin was absent from the group now while Chojo was present, the club VP claiming he had somewhere else to be at the moment. Supana figured it had something to do with Budo but didn’t say anything so as not to upset him. She was seated on the floor with her clubmates on the pentagram-embroidered carpet, munching on some sesame chicken and rice from a bento when her phone went off. 

“Huh,” She remarked, looking at the notification, “I got a message from an unknown sender.”

“Ooh, read it out loud!” Chojo prompted.

Supana opened her phone and checked her messages.

****

“ _ @arata_andromaeda _ _ says: _

_ Testing, one two. This is Supana right?”  _

****

“Looks like Arata got a Saikou Network account already.” The occult girl remarked.

“Really! Speaking of,” Chojo looked around the room. “Is she here today?”

“No, she’s still at my house. I gave her access to my laptop and it looks like she’s finally gotten around to using it.” Supana typed out a response to her friend.

****

“ _ @pagan_sushi _ _ says: _

_ yep. at lunch w the club right now. everything ok?” _

****

“That’s cool.” Chojo sat forward in his chair. “So, how’s the whole ‘housemate’ thing going with her?”

“It’s fine, it’s just taking a bit of getting used to having another human being in the house with me.” The phone buzzed again.

****

“ _@arata_andromaeda_ _says:_

_ Everything’s fine! I have a headache from using this computer already though” _

****

Supana chuckled. 

****

“ _ @pagan_sushi _ _ says: _

_ there’s a bottle of ibuprofen in one of the cabinets in the kitchen. take one, drink some water, and have a nap _ .”

****

The door to the club room opened. 

“Sorry for the wait.” Shin apologized, sitting down on the floor with his classmates. He seemed very flustered and his hair looked a little messy. “I had to deliver something to Amai. She’s in much better spirits today, thankfully.” He smiled.

“Good for her.” Daku remarked. “You look a lot happier. Did you and her…?” He smiled lecherously and Shin reeled.

“God no!” He exclaimed, face turning a stark crimson. “I keep telling you that the two of us are just friends!”

“But we  _ all _ know you like her!” Kokuma rolled her eye. Shin shifted uncomfortably on the mat and Supana thought he almost looked a little guilty about something.

“Let’s not talk about that for now.” The vice president crossed his legs, knocking over his schoolbag in the process. “Oops.” The flap on the bag fell back and Supana saw that both bento boxes Shin had been carrying that morning were gone. Interesting. “Anyway, I was thinking we should go visit Oka today and introduce her to Arata.” 

“Sounds like a good idea.” Daku nodded. “Actually, have any of us actually told her about Arata yet?” 

“I told her one of our rituals were successful yesterday evening during a video call!” Shin grinned, and his face suddenly fell. “Although, we might not be able to introduce them to each other face-to-face. Oka looked pretty horrible last night. Her dark circles have gotten even darker and she had a few more IVs in her arms.” He sighed deeply. “I hope it clears up soon. She’s been sick for quite a while.”

A heavy blanket of silence fell over the club.

“Yeah. I hope so too.” Kokuma mumbled. The other club members agreed silently.

“Do you guys wanna go see her instead of doing the club activity?” Shin asked. Everyone nodded. “Cool. So we’ll go pick up Arata and drop by the hospital.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Supana nodded. 

****

“ _ @arata_andromaeda _ _ says: _

_ done minus the nap.” _

****

“ _ @pagan_sushi _ _ says: _

_ we’re going to visit Oka Ruto after school lets out. be ready by 3. take whatever from my closet but don’t wreck my room pls _ ”

****

The occult club finished their lunch in silence. All Supana could do was sit awkwardly and wait for Arata to reply. Even through text, she sounded so carelessly optimistic and happy…

****

“ _ @arata_andromaeda _ _ says: _

_ Hooray! :) see you then” _

****

The occult girl smiled. Her housemate was so easy to please. Thankfully, the bell rang just then, and Supana thanked whatever holy entities existed for giving her a chance to escape the awkward atmosphere that was beginning to stew within the occult club classroom. As she was walking out of the room, she saw Shin checking his phone as he walked up the stairs by the classroom, and the smile on his face could only be described with one word:  _ lovestruck _ .

Between the two missing bento boxes, Shin’s weird behavior around Budo, and his unexplained absence at lunchtime, something was fishy with him. She knew it wasn’t her business, but there was no going back the moment Supana came to that conclusion as she walked back to her class. There was definitely some drama brewing between Amai, Budo, and Shin somehow. She could  _ feel  _ it. Then again, it could have just been nothing, but then...what if it wasn’t?

She’d just have to wait and see, she supposed.

********  
  


“Arata! I’m home!”

Immediately after she said it, Supana heard the sound of something slamming shut, followed by heavy footsteps bounding down the hallway before Arata turned the corner and nearly fell down the stairs. Her hair was in low pigtails again, and she was dressed in black waist-high pants paired with a white sweater that had the Polaroid logo on it. Her eyes went wide as dinner plates when she saw the rest of the occult club standing with her housemate in the door.

“Hi guys!” She smiled so widely Supana wondered if her face hurt. “Supana, you’ve got a really nice taste in clothing!”

“Thanks.” The other girl replied, blushing from being suddenly put on the spot like that.

“Well, here we are.” Chojo smiled, amused. “Jesus, Arata, you’re so full of energy.”

“I can’t help it, I’m so excited!” Arata giggled. “I get to finally meet Oka! How is she? Does she know I’m coming? Ooh, am I a surprise to her? I can’t wait to meet her after all this time!” She was practically dancing in her socks, but the rest of the club didn’t exactly feel the same way. Kokuma looked nervous like she was hiding a nuclear launch code in her shoe. Supana didn’t even attempt to make eye contact with her. Hell, even Chojo’s smile was gone in the moment. Shin shuffled in the doorway awkwardly, unsure of how to break the news of Oka’s condition to the clearly oblivious Arata. He wondered why Supana hadn’t mentioned any details about Oka’s hospitalization to her earlier.

Well, one way or the next, she was about to find out everything she needed to know about her whereabouts and then some. Whether that came at the expense of Arata’s happiness or not was yet to be determined.

“You’ll see when we get there.” Was all Shin could bring himself to say. The rest of the club nodded mutely. There was really nothing more to be said. Arata seemed to sense the uneasiness with the group and immediately shut her mouth.

“Can I wear these?” Arata pointed out a pair of black flats by the door. The obvious apprehensiveness in the group was beginning to worry her. Supana nodded in reply. “Thanks.” She slipped the shoes onto her feet, no longer as visibly energetic as before. “Let’s go, then.”

The walk was short in distance but it felt like it took ages to get where they needed to go. Not a word left the mouths of anyone until Shin, who had been walking at the front of the group, stopped in his tracks at the intersection between the hospital entrance and the road.

“Hey guys, where are we going, anyway?” Arata asked, eyeing the hospital with fearful eyes.

“We’re here.” Shin replied, his gaze moving in the same direction. “God, I hope she’s not upset at us for not visiting sooner.” 

Arata gasped, her dark eyes widening in horror. “You mean she’s…” She trailed off and looked over at the rest of the club. “Is she  _ dying _ ?”

“Honestly? We don’t know.” Daku replied, his expression forlorn. “She’s got a severe case of bacterial pneumonia, and she’s been battling it for nearly a month now. Every time we think it’s gone for good, it comes back even more aggressive than before.” Arata’s eyebrows furrowed, her shoulders dropping. She looked as though someone had kicked a kitten in front of her. 

“Oh. Oh, god, I had no idea.” Her hands began to tremble as she clasped them together. “Oh, had I known, I would have come prepared to say something nice to her.” 

“Don’t worry about that.” Kokuma reassured. “You being there will be enough to brighten her spirits, Arata. I promise.”

“We all do.” Chojo put a hand on her shoulder. “You may have to wear a face mask while you’re inside her hospital room.”

“That’s fine, I don’t mind that.” The girl nodded solemnly. Inside, she felt like her stomach was doing kickflips. “Poor Oka…”

“Let’s go in.” Shin brought the club back to attention. Arata nodded, fidgeting with her hands, and the students walked through the sliding doors of the hospital. A nurse wearing thinly framed black glasses greeted them at the front counter.

“Hello, everyone. You’re here to see Oka, I assume.” She said with a gentle smile.

Shin nodded. “How is she doing?”

“Just started a new medication last night. The results of it appear promising and she seems to be doing a lot better with it in her system. She should be clear to take visitors right now.” The nurse then noticed Arata standing with the group and peered at her over the rim of her glasses. “Who’s this?”

“Oh.” Arata felt an embarrassed blush burn her face. She suddenly felt like she’d been alienated from her group of friends, like she’d been placed in a glass cage where she stood. “Um--”

“This is a friend of Oka’s.” Supana stepped in and said. “She just got back from out of town which is why she didn’t visit sooner.” The nurse gave Arata a suspicious look.

“Well, alright.” She waved over another nurse as he exited a nearby room. “Take them to room 316.” The male nurse nodded.

“Follow me.”

The man led the group of students to an elevator, taking them up a few floors and down a long hallway to a brown door. Next to the door was a metal caddy holding some bottles of mysterious liquids, clear plastic bags also full of liquids, and a few boxes of latex gloves and face masks. On the name placard underneath the room sign, someone had taped a piece of paper saying “AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY”. Underneath the text was a biological hazard sign. Arata’s stomach wrenched, her body trembling very subtly. The hospital was so bright and absolutely reeked of all sorts of chemicals, so much so that her head was beginning to hurt again. This was where Oka had been for the past several  _ weeks _ ? 

“Who’d like to see her first?” The nurse asked, pulling a pair of plastic gloves and a face mask from the boxes before putting them on. 

“Arata, I think you and I should see her first.” Shin said, mimicking the nurse and putting on a mask. This startled Arata; she’d no idea what to expect, but she was too curious about the state of Oka Ruto to refuse.

“If you insist.” The latex gloves felt quite strange. They were very dry, and the insides of them almost felt dusty and made her palms itch. Clearly, however, they were necessary to wear, so Arata didn’t protest. The face mask felt a little strange, too. It made her nose itch and smelled plasticky.

“Keep your voice low.” The nurse advised.

“Of course.” Shin said and exchanged a look with Arata. “Are you ready?”

The other girl drew in a breath, her heart pounding. She wasn’t sure if she was really ready to see what was behind that door, but she nodded anyway.

“I am.”

Shin gave her a thumbs up and slowly opened the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so like,, using honorifics isn't /too/ cringey is it? <<;
> 
> also i'm really sorry there hasn't been much interesting at-school action thus far BUT I do have some...interesting events planned to take place in this story. so stay tuned for that :>
> 
> love you guys<3 kudos and comments are always appreciated!


	11. ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I lied, this is where they meet Oka :,>

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I got lazy and decided to publish this now even though it's like,, maybe half the length of how I initially planned this to be. So sorry! Hope you lovelies enjoy it anyway<3

The first thing Arata noticed about the room was how dim it was. Immediately before herself and Shin was a foldable curtain that stretched all the way to the floor, blocking their view of what lay waiting for them inside. Arata let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. For a moment, she thought she’d have to face seeing Oka in a hospital bed right away. Shin gave her an odd look and a quick, reassuring squeeze on the hand, seemingly able to sense her anxieties immediately.

“Who’s there?” A quiet, raspy voice called out from behind the curtain. Arata softly gasped; it was Oka, as expected, but she didn’t sound at all like she anticipated. Her voice was so sad, so empty. It sounded as though it were scraping away at her voice box, like every breath she took with her speech took heavy laboring to produce. Arata’s knees weakened, a sudden fear gripping her body in a way she’d never felt before.

“Arata, deep breaths.” Shin whispered to her before turning to the curtain. “It’s me, Oka,” He said, “And I’ve brought someone.” He turned back to his companion. “I didn’t tell her the exact details of yesterday, but she _is_ expecting you.”

Arata nodded mutely as Shin led her into the room, walking her parallel to the curtain until it ended, revealing a pristine cream-colored room with a few carts and a table with chairs near the wall. Parallel to the curtain was a hospital bed with beeping monitors and IV drips surrounding it, wires and tubes protruding from them and attached to the limbs of a very pale and thin girl. She laid limp in her bed, her dark and almost lifeless eyes framed by a dark purple which contrasted with the sickly pallor of her skin. She stared, unmoving, across the room at the two students facing her, and appeared to be processing their presence in her room. A nasal cannula was threaded behind her ears and connected to another machine that periodically beeped at her side. Messy hair the color of a plum fell haphazardly about her face and looked as though it hadn’t been properly groomed in a while. Her teal hospital gown draped over her toothpick-thin figure, thin in such a way that it looked as though all the bones in her body would shatter if she was so much as brushed by a feather. When Oka tried to sit up, Arata’s heart shattered in its cage when she saw that she simply didn’t have the energy to go through with it, laying herself back down in her bed defeatedly.

“Shin.” She smiled weakly, her lips turning up ever so slightly. A monitor beeped and she drew in a deep breath through her nose. “So good to see you.” She held out her arms, her limbs trembling and poked with needles and tubes all up and down the lengths of her forearms. Shin hesitated, looking as though he would burst into tears, and embraced her despite her obviously sickly state.

“How are you, Oka?” He asked, voice shaking and barely in a whisper.

“Could be better. You know how it is.” Oka replied, laying back down in her bed. She tried to laugh, but it came out more like a crackling noise and she burst into a fit of hideous coughing immediately after. It was a horrible sight to behold; her body convulsed violently and her cough sounded like bubble wrap being stomped on. Shin sat her up and supported her as the coughing fit eventually subsided and gingerly laid her back down once it was over.

“Ugh.” She moaned, closing her eyes. “They’ve been getting a little better, and yet…”

“Shh.” Shin knelt down at her side. “Deep breaths, my friend. I heard you’re on a new medication?”

Oka pursed her lips with a nod. “Yes, I’ve another IV stuck in my arm. It’ll be a miracle if I don’t scar from all the holes in my skin right now. I shouldn’t complain, though; I feel much better than I did last night thanks to it.” She smiled again. “Maybe this time I do have hope for recovery.”

“Oka, there’s _always_ hope for your recovery.” Shin insisted, taking her bony, pale hands in his own. “I’ve brought somebody for you to meet.”

Oka’s eyes flickered over to Arata, who shuffled her feet awkwardly as she stood beside the curtain. “I see.” Weakly, Oka motioned for the girl to come closer, and she obeyed. “Who is this?”

“Do you recall the conversation we had last night about the successful summoning ritual that took place yesterday evening?” Shin asked. The sick girl’s eyebrows rose and light seemed to return to her eyes for a brief moment.

“I do.” She replied, looking from Arata to Shin to Arata again.

“And you recall how I told you that the result was more fantastic and unthinkable than you would ever be able to imagine?”

“Of course.”

“Well, here she is.” The boy rose to his feet and held his arms out to Arata as if he were showing her off. “Meet Arata Kurosawa, the girl we summoned from across dimensions.”

Oka’s eyes widened. “You lie.” She gasped, holding onto the railing of her bed with thin fingers. “Sit me up.” Shin did so and Oka beckoned the other girl closer still, taking the other girl’s hands in her own once she was close enough. Arata was surprised to find that the sick girl’s hands were warmer than expected. Oka ran her fingertips over Arata’s knuckles, closing her eyes, and finally opened them after a while with a satisfied nod.

“You’re not of this world. I can feel it.” A smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. “My god, Shin, you really did it. Maybe now our club--” She let go of Arata’s hands and suddenly burst into another coughing fit, her body shaking from side to side rapidly as a horrible hacking noise escaped her throat. The fit fortunately ended soon, and she wheezed, drawing in a deep breath. Her lungs sounded as though they were full of oil and it made Arata’s heart wrench painfully. “Now our club will be taken seriously! Who have you told of this wonderful occurrence?”

“Nobody,” Shin shook his head, “And I’m sorry, Oka, but we cannot risk telling anybody, not even our parents. We’d put too much on the line by just outright saying we summoned a person from a different universe.”

“How so?” Oka squinted up at him and looked back at Arata. “Are those Supana’s clothes?”

Arata nodded. “I’m living with her because she was nice enough to offer her home to me.” Another weak smile from Oka.

“Ah, how pleasant. I always knew she had it in her to help others.” She said fondly. “Anyhow, Shin, have you even figured out how the ritual worked to begin with?”

Shin shook his head once again. “Unfortunately, no. I’ve thought about it a lot though.”

“I’ve a feeling we should consult the Science Club, then.” Arata interjected, hands trembling ever so slightly from nervousness. She hoped she wasn’t doing anything wrong by interrupting. “They’re all very smart people, and Kaga can keep secrets. I’m sure they’d know something.”

Oka furrowed her brows. “A good suggestion, but how on earth did you know that?”

Arata looked over at Shin. “Did you not tell her?” Shin shook his head.

“I told you, no details were divulged. I didn’t want to spoil the surprise for her.”

“Ah. Makes sense.” Arata sat herself down on the end of the hospital bed, noting how thin and uncomfortable the mattress beneath her felt, and relayed to Oka her story. She told her of how she’d spent an unknown amount of time in a starry black void and how she’d watched over Akademi until the club performed the strange ritual and she was given a physical body. Oka listened, fascinated and with wide eyes, until Arata finished speaking, and they held eye contact silently for quite a long time.

“Incredible.” The sickly girl breathed, a very subtle wheeze to her voice like she’d run a mile. “So you knew who I was before I walked into the room?”

Arata nodded. “Yes, to an extent. The best way to put it is I knew _of_ you. I was very distraught to learn you were sick, though. I never saw you absent from the school, even before the ritual happened.”

Both Shin and Oka’s faces contorted into confused expressions.

“Really?” Shin asked. “That’s news.”

“Strange.” Oka murmured, drawing in another deep and crackly breath.

“Yes, I agree.” Arata tapped a finger to her chin. “Now that I think about it, it’s quite odd and I don’t know why I didn’t notice that sooner.”

“I assume you’ve all been very busy, then.” Oka remarked, giving Shin and Arata a friendly smile, which both of them returned. Her tired, baggy eyes were full of kindness, painting her in a state of warm friendliness that contrasted the shy, reclusive behaviors Arata had grown to be familiar with prior to their meeting. Before coming alive again, so to speak, she thought she’d finally gotten to understand all the students of Akademi perfectly, but that belief was already being heavily tested. In fact, she was beginning to wonder if the world of Akademi she’d been watching was the same one she’d been brought into at all. Out of this entire situation, she thought, _that_ would be the biggest oddity of all.

“Yes, of course.” Arata nodded. “There’s much that’s been done for me and I’m endlessly grateful for all of it.”

“I’m happy for you all. The club, I mean.” The occult club president continued, snapping Arata out of her thoughts. “Shin, you seemed much happier during last night’s Discord call.” She asked. Shin nodded.

“Yes, yesterday’s success has brightened all of our spirits. If we can do one ritual right, who’s to say we can’t do a few more and prove we’re worth the funds after all?” The boy gave Arata a smile that made the girl involuntarily blush. Unfortunately, though, the smile quickly dissipated. “There was something else I wanted to bring up in regards to...well.” He turned to Arata. “Can you give us some space?” His eyes flickered from her to the door before returning to her and Arata immediately understood.

“Of course.” She nodded. “It was so wonderful meeting you, Oka. Please recover soon.”

Oka nodded. “I’m trying my hardest. Thank you for visiting.” Oka burst into a third coughing fit, tremors overtaking her frail body once again. Shin held her upright to keep her from collapsing on herself as Oka waved the other girl out of the room quickly, one fist over her mouth. Arata began to tremble again but kept a smile on her face, giving a final goodbye to the two students before quickly making her leave. However, a curiosity began to nag at her brain and she wondered what Shin was going to talk about, so she cracked the door open before closing it mostly, not quite all the way to give the illusion of her leaving. Heart pounding, Arata then held her breath, waiting silently behind the curtain to hear what would come next.

“So,” Oka said, followed by a creaking noise that sounded like she was laying back in bed, “I’ve heard that a certain someone is making progress with Amai.”

Shin chuckled. “Ah, that. We met up today and I gave her that dessert bento you sent me the instructions for. She was pretty happy about it and, thank god for this, didn’t even mention yesterday afternoon besides an apology for that I told you about.”

A _dessert bento_? Arata stifled a laugh. Shin really did like this girl, didn’t he?

“Aw, cute. You two would make a good couple, you know.” Oka replied.

Shin hesitated before replying with a “Yeah.”

“What’s wrong?” The other girl asked, “You don’t look so sure of yourself.”

“Well…” Shin hesitated again. “You have to promise not to tell.”

“Pinky promise, Shin. I’d never snitch on you.”

The boy drew in a deep breath and Arata’s eyes widened in anticipation. He and Amai really _did_ seem like the perfect couple when she thought about it, so what could possibly be holding him back? “Well...I’ve started talking to Budo again.”

“Oh.” Oka coughed briefly. “And how’s…”

“They haven’t gone away,” Shin continued, sounding more and more frustrated by the second, “And I don’t understand it! I’ve been avoiding him for weeks now and every time I see him it’s the same shit as always! Honestly, you know I don’t feel too good about treating my childhood best friend like I have been, but god _damn_ it, Oka. I think he’d understand if he knew the truth!”

A pause.

“I see, I see.” Oka said thoughtfully, “You know, Shin, I don’t understand how you think avoiding him is going to help.”

“Me neither, really, but what other choice do I have?” The male let out a groan of frustration. “I can’t spend time around him because I’ll make myself look like a fool, but now that I’m avoiding him, he thinks there’s something wrong with us! Damned if I do, damned if I don’t!” He sighed. “I did give him something today over lunch, though. It was a bento like the one I made Amai, since I know he likes sweet foods a lot. He tries not to show it though. Wants to be a good example for the rest of the club.” He said fondly.

Arata held her breath. Shin giving the same gift to his childhood friend and a girl he liked...interesting. It sounded like he was crushing on Budo and Amai at the same time, and the eavesdropper wondered if the rest of the club knew about this. A brief rush of excitement overcame her, muting her pity for Oka only momentarily, and Arata realized that she’d returned to her old habit of listening in and watching. This time, however, it was a little more personal, and Arata felt only a little guilty when she realized she _loved_ it.

“Really.” Oka snickered. “ _Wow_. So you’re finally acting on it after all this time.”

“God, shut up.” Shin groaned. “It’s not gonna go anywhere, but I figured it would be a nice gesture. He liked it, anyway, and that’s all that matters to me.” Silence fell over the room for a brief moment, broken only by the beeping of the monitors next to Oka’s bed. “I don’t know anymore. Amai seems into me so I think I’ll stick with her for now. But Budo…”

“Shh.” Oka comforted him. How ironic, Arata mused. “It’s okay. Everything’s gonna work out with you three somehow, and one day I’ll be out of this hellhole with you all and we can prove to the school once and for all that our club isn’t actually a waste of resources.”

“Thank you, Oka.” Shin replied, clearing his throat. “Um, that being said, I may actually have to come clean to Amai about where Arata came from.”

“What? But you said it yourself, that would be dangerous!”

“I think we can trust her. It’s clear that she’s friendly towards the club even when nobody else is, and besides, she already saw us smuggle Arata out of the building yesterday and then confronted us about it--”

“She what?!” Oka moaned. “Oh, goddamnit! _Shin_!”

“I’m sorry!” Shin exclaimed, “Uh, the other club members scared her off, and we didn’t spill the beans about the ritual. Pinky promise. But she knew something was up and I can’t just keep it from her.” He sighed.

Oka hesitated. “I think that’s fine.” She coughed for a few seconds and drew in a wheezy breath. “She can be trusted, after all, but if she tells…”

“She won’t tell. I swear on every Pagan god ever written about, she won’t tell a soul if she even believes us at all. She’s too nice for that, anyway.” Shin drew in a deep breath. “We’ll tell her tomorrow. Arata’s been enrolled in Akademi as a regular student as far as I’m aware so she can do the talking if she so wishes to.”

“Good luck.” Oka replied and Arata decided she’d heard enough. She ducked out of the room, back into the hallway where she saw the male nurse from before not too far from the door. Looking about, she saw the other members of the occult club were nowhere to be seen. The nurse noticed her quickly and gave her a friendly smile.

“Hello,” He greeted. “Are you alright? You seem a little pale.”

“Oh,” Arata smiled weakly, “A bit shaken up from the visit is all.” The shock of seeing Oka so ill when she first entered the hospital room began to burrow back into her chest. “Why is she so sick?”

“Huh, I thought your friends would have told you.” The nurse gave her an odd look. “Well,” He explained, “I’m sure you’re aware she’s diabetic.”

Arata was not. She nodded anyway.

“Her diabetes means her immune system is compromised, so it’s much easier for her to fall severely ill from normally minor infections. If it weren’t for that, she’d have recovered from it a long time ago.” The nurse continued. “No reason to worry, though. The blood work we took on her earlier shows that the antibiotics we’ve just put her on work like a charm. She’ll be better in no time.” He reassured her. Arata smiled, feeling only slightly relieved by this news.

“Thank you for that. Where’s everybody else?” She asked, looking about the hallway again.

“They’re in the waiting room. It’s not safe to have so many people waiting in the hallway of a facility like this, you know.” The nurse responded.

“Thank you very much. Could you lead me to them? It’s been quite a long time since I’ve been in a hospital.”

  


The rest of the occult club was patiently sitting in a lobby area not too far from Oka’s room, and they each took turns visiting their friend. By the time it was over, it was nearly five in the afternoon. The group walked out of the hospital, all in varying states of distress over Oka’s state of being, though collectively they were all grateful that now her recovery seemed to be closer than ever.

“God,” Chojo moaned, walking with his hands in his pockets, “This _sucks_. I wish I could just give her a lung or something so she wouldn’t have to suffer anymore.”

Daku chuckled, a melancholy smile on his face. “Chojo Tekina, ever the dramatic one. We should have you put in the theater club instead.”

“Will you take this seriously already? She looked like she was _dying_ in there, man!” Chojo retorted, throwing his arms in the air.

“I _am_ taking this seriously.” Daku pushed his glasses up his nose. “I’m just keeping my thoughts within reason. She’ll live, we just have to give this next medication time to kick in.”

“You’ve said that every single fucking time she’s had a med change, and every single time, it hasn’t worked!” Chojo snapped back. “God, you’re insufferable! Have you no empathy?!”

“I should say the same for you.” Daku cooly replied, glaring across the sidewalk at the other, “Have you no head or hands to steady yourself with?”

“Will you both please stop it!” Kokuma huffed. “Argue, bicker, argue, bicker, that’s all I ever hear from you two until suddenly you’re on good terms again!” She glowered at the two boys. “Knock it off already! I’m sure Arata doesn’t appreciate your fighting either!”

Chojo and Daku both looked at Arata, who shuffled along with the group, her head in the clouds and her heart heavy from the afternoon’s meeting. She noticed them staring and looked back like a deer in headlights.

“What?” She asked, confused.

Chojo rolled his eyes and faced forward, frustrated. “Nothing.”

“Please stop acting like children.” Shin pinched the bridge of his nose. From his pocket, the club heard his phone go off, and he checked it. His eyes widened and he halted in the middle of the sidewalk.

“Oh my god.” He mumbled, his face paling. The rest of the club stopped and stared.

“What is it?” Kokuma asked, her voice in a whisper.

“I just got a text from Amai.” Shin replied. “Someone jumped off the roof of the school. Her body was by the incinerator.”

The club members gasped and a chilling silence fell over them. Cars whizzed by, the leaves in the trees rustled, and people down the street chatted amongst themselves, but Arata’s ears dulled all the noise down to a staticky murmur. A student had died already before she’d even gotten to meet them. Her heart only became heavier as if its chambers were pumping molten lead.

“Who was it?” She finally asked, voice squeaking like a mouse.

“It was that girl with orange pigtails, Osana Najimi.” Shin looked up at her. “I don’t suppose you knew who she was.”

Yes, Arata indeed knew who that was. Nodding wordlessly, she recalled the girl’s face; blue eyes with hair a striking orange-yellow ombre pulled back into long pigtails that were level with her mid thighs. She was always walking about with a boy, one who was quite plain in comparison, and she’d learned through listening in on their talks that they were childhood friends. Osana Najimi...a fitting name for her, really. A shame it had to be her to die, and on such a day as this too.

“Dear god, that’s awful.” Supana folded her hands. “I hardly knew her myself, and yet I can’t help but be sad.”

“Wasn’t she friends with that boy, Taro Yamada?” Daku questioned.

“She was.” Arata affirmed, racking her mind for any information she could recall about her. “They were childhood best friends and she constantly had a tendency to nag him about little things. They always walked to school together and she sometimes made lunch for him unexpectedly.”

“Interesting. Bits of that sound familiar, actually” Daku quipped, shooting a glance at Shin who ignored him outright.

“God, Taro must be so upset.” Kokuma sighed. “I feel bad for him. He didn’t seem to have any friends besides Osana. He sits alone all the time and reads. What a boring guy!”

“Actually, reading isn’t that bad--” Supana peeped, earning her a weird look from Kokuma and Chojo. “But that aside, maybe we should offer him some words of support tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I’m sure he’d love to hear some condolences from the school’s gaggle of weirdos!” Chojo rolled his eyes.

“If anything, _I’m_ going to make sure I say something nice to him, and you all may tag along if you so wish to!” Arata blurted, partially unaware she’d said anything at all until she realized all eyes were on her.

“Oh.” Chojo’s eyes widened. “Oh, god, your first day is tomorrow, isn’t it? Wow, aren’t you gonna have a great day, starting with a memorial service in the gym.”

“I’ll take what I can get.” Arata said firmly, balling her fists up at her hips. Awkward silence draped itself over the group like a blanket until Supana spoke.

“I think we should all be going home now.” She said, folding her hands on themselves over and over again. “Poor Osana…”

“Yes, truly a shame.” Daku shook his head. “Well, I’ll be going now.”

“Right.” Supana replied, “See you tomorrow.”

Chojo and Daku shared one final irritated glare before Daku composed himself and walked down a street perpendicular to the one the rest of the group stood on.

“That was a disaster.” Shin sighed as the group began walking back, “I’ll need to get on the train, so I hope you don’t mind if I join you for part of the way home, Supana.”

“Us too.” Chojo and Kokuma agreed.

“It’s no issue, my home is just down the road anyhow.” Supana insisted with a shrug. “Hey, Shin, I’ve just realized.”

“Hm?”

“How are we going to explain Arata being in school to Amai?” The occult girl looked up at him. “I mean, she’s definitely going to be suspicious at her just showing up out of nowhere again. We didn’t even give her an explanation for it yesterday afternoon.” Arata’s heart skipped a beat when she remembered what she’d listened in on earlier and a great excitement overcame her because of the secret knowledge she harbored.

“Did you two talk yesterday?” Kokuma questioned, “And did she ask about Arata at all?”

Shin shook his head. “We did talk before school, but she strangely didn’t mention Arata at all. I’ve not been able to stop thinking about what was on her mind…”

“Oh, is that the only thing about her that’s been on your mind?” Chojo teased. Shin’s face flushed pink and he shoved the other student.

“F-fuck off!” He sputtered, dissolving into embarrassed laughter. “Jesus, man, I’m trying to be serious!” Chojo laughed along, holding his sides and turning his face up to the sky, and the girls began to join in one by one. For a moment, Arata was able to drop all her worries and watch it all unfold with a fond smile, serotonin leaking into her bloodstream like a drug. The golds and pinks and oranges of the sky cast a glow that spread over them like a heavy cream, radiating the last of the gracious sun’s warmth over them as they walked. It was the epitome of a romantic sight, one of the rare moments of the world in which all was well even if it was only temporarily.

That was indeed the worst part of moments like this one; the temporariness of it all. The laughter dispelled slowly, leaving the club in a gloomy silence that followed them all the way to Supana’s doorstep.

“Well, good night, guys.” Supana pulled her key from her school bag and unlocked the front gate.

“See you both tomorrow.” Shin said. Supana pushed the gate open, the black metal creaking, and stepped through it, waiting for her friend to follow suit. Arata was about to do so when something across the street caught her eye.

“Hey guys,” She said, pointing a thumb across the road, “I think I see someone from the school over there.”

The rest of the club turned their heads to see a girl walking down the sidewalk across from them dressed in the Akademi high school uniform. She wasn’t tall but wasn’t necessarily short, either. Her hair was black like Arata’s and it was pulled back into a single high ponytail.

‘She’s wearing the right uniform, but...’ Arata eyes widened. ‘I don’t recognize that girl from anywhere.’

Initially, the strange girl didn’t seem to see them staring, but she caught onto it after a few seconds and stopped moving to look over at them directly. Arata blanched and took a single step backwards to steady herself. The girl’s face resembled Arata’s own, disturbingly so, and it took Arata by surprise so much that she held onto the rail of the gate with one hand to prevent her knees from giving out. Though she was a considerable distance away, Arata could see something unsettling in her eyes. She wasn’t quite sure how to put it, but this girl looked...evil. It was the only word she could think of to sum up how she felt. The student across the street stared for a few more seconds before continuing her walk away, completely ignoring them.

“I think I recognize that girl, actually,” Shin tapped his chin in thought, “Isn’t she a second year?” He noticed Arata clinging to the fence like a scared cat and his eyebrows furrowed. “What’s wrong?”

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Chojo remarked.

Arata shook her head. “I’m fine, I just…She goes to Akademi and yet I’ve never seen her before. It’s disturbing. I’ve never seen her _anywhere_ and yet we look so alike.”

The members of the occult club exchanged uneasy looks.

“I mean, you can’t deny that you look a lot like her, but...” Kokuma raised an eyebrow. “I thought you knew who everybody was.”

“That’s what I thought too, but I guess not.” A sharp pain in Arata’s temple forced her to bring a hand to the side of her head and her knees sharply buckled beneath her. “Ouch!”

“Let’s get you inside.” Supana reached out to put one of her friend’s arms over her shoulder.

“That sounds fantastic.” Arata smiled weakly. Her legs began to wobble like jello, and her brain felt like it was slowly being replaced with cotton balls. She struggled to walk even with Supana’s support, and a deep feeling of unease brewed in her lower gut. “Shin, you said you know who that girl was? What’s her name, then?”

“It’s...god. Let me think.” The vice president pondered this for a moment. “Ah, I remember now! Her name is--”

Before Arata could hear the answer, the pavement rushed up to meet her face, dyeing her world black in an instant.


	12. eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm slowly losing the motivation to work on this, hence the short and admittedly half assed chapter. i'm sorry.

_ ‘Mama, is dinner ready yet?’ _

__ _ The woman called ‘Mama’ stares down at me. Her face is blurry and I can barely make out the shape of her features. I can see, though, that her eyes and hair are dark like mine. Dark and...kind? I think that’s the vibe her face gives off. It’s hard to tell when the world around you looks like an out-of-focus polaroid. I feel like I’m not quite standing but floating. _

_ ‘Not yet, dear. Go back in the living room and play with your sister.’ _

__ _ She shoos me from the kitchen in a gentle voice and I run back to the living room, giggling. In the room is my father and sister, their faces and figures heavily blurred. I can tell even through the blur of my surroundings that the three of us all look the same to some extent. My sister is playing with blocks on the floor and my dad is lying on his side on the floor, watching us to make sure we don’t tear each other apart. _

_ ‘Oh, there you are.’ My dad says, ‘Don’t bother your mother while she’s cooking, kiddo. You know better.’ _

_ ‘Sorry.’ _

__ _ I laugh again for some reason. Everything about this is pleasant in the most indescribable way. This, I feel, is the way things should be. _

_ ‘That’s fine, kiddo. You know I can’t stay mad at you.’ Dad smiles. ‘Now, why don’t you come back in here and play with--’ _

  
  


Arata shot bolt upright and immediately regretted it as pain shot across her face, forcing her to lay back down with a moan of pain. Across from her in an armchair, Supana looked up from the book in her hands, closing it and setting it softly on the end table next to her. On that same table, Arata could see through half closed eyes that there was a turned-on lamp, a glass of water, and some pills.

“You were out for a while.” Her housemate remarked, setting the book aside. “Shin and the others had to help me carry you inside.”

“Oh, really.” Arata pinched the bridge of her nose, screwing her eyes shut to dull out the light. God, how her head hurt, and what was that dream she’d just had? The world felt like it was spinning and she couldn’t seem to hold herself steady. “How long was I out for just now?”

Supana checked her phone. “It’s 6:30, so...almost an hour.” Her friend moaned and rolled over, stuffing her face in the pillows. “You sound awful.”

“I feel awful. My head is  _ killing _ me.” Arata barely looked out from the fluffy comfort of the couch pillow. Her vision was framed with a fuzzy black border and she was seeing double. “I had the strangest dream just now, too.”

“Hm.” Supana remarked, taking the pills and water from the table next to her and handing them to Arata. She popped the pills, chugged the water, handed the glass back and flopped back on the couch with a mumble of “thanks”.

“You’re welcome.” The occult girl replaced the glass, sitting back in her chair. Arata lay still, not responding, and her housemate felt a pang of sympathy for her. “Do you want to tell me what that dream was about, then?”

“Mm. I’ll tell you once the pain subsides.” Arata rolled over so her back was to her friend, who picked up her book again and opened it. Supana’s eye glided over the words on the page, but she was painfully aware of the silence in the room and, unable to focus, simply waited for her friend to wake up. Time ticked away painfully slowly until Arata eventually rolled back over to her opposite side.

“The pain has gotten better,” She said as she sat up, prompting Supana to put the book back. Arata looked as though she’d just sat through the longest day ever, her eyes tired and her expression weary. “But god, do I feel _ weird _ . It’s like my brain’s been replaced with a thick syrup.”

“You should go to bed early.” Supana replied, crossing a leg over the other. “I won’t mind it if you do.”

“No. I can’t do that quite yet, I think.” Arata folded her hands over each other. “I’ve too much on my mind after today.”

“Then spill,” Her friend leaned back in her chair. “I’ve got time.”

“You’ve grown more comfortable around me.” Arata remarked, to which she received only a waiting stare in response. ‘Her mind is just as difficult to read as always,’ Arata remarked to herself. “Well, the dream was basically...how do I put this. I think it was a snippet of my life before now, but it was all extremely blurry. I couldn’t see anything in detail, but rather vague shapes that made my brain go ‘oh, those are human people and I know them somehow’. It was really weird and I feel like I’m still reeling from it inside.”

“Huh.” Supana tilted her head to the side and thought for a moment. “That’s interesting. Do you remember what  _ happened _ in the dream?”

“That’s what I’m still trying to piece together. I think...my mom was preparing a meal. And dad was watching my sister and I in the living room. I know you would think of it as simple, but the whole thing felt to me like it was ripped out of a fairytale.” Arata paused. “You know what’s funny? I distinctly remember dad was about to say my sister’s name, and then I woke up before I could hear it. Didn’t I pass out while Shin was talking about that girl from school I didn’t recognize?”

Supana gasped, her visible eye going wide. “You did! That’s a hell of a coincidence.” She remarked.

“Right? I wonder what it could mean, if anything at all.” The girl sighed and leaned back into the couch, sinking into the soft backing and letting her body relax. “It’s probably nothing, I guess. My brain could’ve just made the entire thing up so I won’t let myself stress too much out over it. I’ll hit the hay early tonight since I can already tell that tomorrow’s gonna be really emotionally draining.”

“You’re probably right.” Supana picked up her book once again. “Goodnight. I think I’ll stay downstairs for now. Um, help yourself to whatever from the kitchen if you get hungry, by the way. I’m really feeling too lazy to properly cook something.” She chuckled.

“Thank you very much.” Arata got up from the couch with a tired smile, walking out of the room but stopping in the doorframe. “Gosh, I’m impressed at how mature you are, Supana. We’re young, and yet I think you act so much like an adult already.” She complimented her friend before closing the living room door behind her.

Supana and the room fell silent.  _ ‘And yet, you act so much like an adult.’ _ She wasn’t wrong, of course, but the occult girl didn’t exactly like the reminder that she had to mature a little too quickly. Not that she’d tell that to Arata directly; she knew her friend meant well, so she decided not to speak on it, and thus the night continued without further conflict. 

Later, Supana lay in bed with her laptop on her lap, chatting with the other members of the occult club plus Amai, who’d been added to the group chat by Shin.

 

**@secretsofthedark:** so, hold on.

**@secretsofthedark:** you’re telling me that osana najimi yaught herself off the roof today and absolutely nobody saw it coming.

**@para_n0rmie:** first of all, if you’re seriously trying to use the past tense of yeet, it’s ‘yote’

**@para_n0rmie:** second of all, yes

**@sweet_muffin_:** that’s so horrible :( her family must be so sad (;_;)

**@darkarts_123:** Yeah. I can’t help but wonder why she did it, you know? She didn’t seem to be the type who would do that.

**@darkarts_123:** ((also, I firmly stand by the idea that the preterite of ‘yeet’ is ‘yeeted’, you absolute fools.))

**@sweet_muffin_:** you can never tell what’s going on inside people's heads, daku. she could have had a horrible home life for all we know (｡•́︿•̀｡) that poor girl...

**@kork_uma** : amai’s got a point yknow

**@darkarts_123:** Yes, that’s fair. Still, it’s a bit out of left field for her to do that, don’t you all think? I feel like that ‘suicide’ wasn’t all it looks like if you get what I’m saying. Maybe someone pushed her...but then, why would they do that? Osana wasn’t a particularly outstanding person if my memory serves, no offense to her of course.

**@para_n0rmie:** dude how the fuck are you typing so fast

**@kickintheshin:** As if any of us can really make judgements on someone we didn’t even know in the first ‘buds; waq1`

**@kickintheshin:** *place

**@kickintheshin:** Oops. Cat walked over my keyboard.

**@kork_uma:** awww! bad kitty xD

**@sweet_muffin_:** awww i didn’t know you had a cat, shin (≧∇≦*) i love cats!

**@kickintheshin:** :-)

**@para_n0rmie:** dogs are better

**@para_n0rmie:** also i think daku may be onto something for once in his life

**@darkarts_123:** I will ignore the insult for now and just say thank you.

**@para_n0rmie:** like,,, look.

**@para_n0rmie:** i know none of us actually *knew* knew osana. but i had class w her n i can confirm she was...something else to say the least.

**@para_n0rmie:** she was constantly hanging around that taro yamada guy. pretty sure she had a crush on him. had a flair for the dramatic, too...maybe she got rejected and decided to end it?

**@kork_uma:** yea maybe!! didn’t arata say they were also childhood friends? maybe she couldn’t handle being rejected by her crush and killed herself?

**@darkarts_123:** I feel tempted to ask Yamada himself about it but it’s likely not a good idea.

**@secretsofthedark:** golly fucking gee, daku, i wonder how you could have come to that conclusion :/

**@darkarts_123:** I will bite my metaphorical tongue and not say the thing I want to say right now because I would much like to stay a member of the occult club.

**@secretsofthedark:** a wise decision.

**@sweet_muffin_:** haha you guys are so funny! we should all have lunch together tomorrow! it’ll be fun (๑˃̵　ᴗ　˂̵)

**@kickintheshin:** Yeah that sounds great!! :D

**@kork_uma:** hey supa, quit lurking in the chat and say something already :p

 

Supana blushed in embarrassment even though nobody was there to see it and typed out a reply. God, these guys could really go back and forth like it was nothing, and often she got so caught up in reading everything that she forgot she was expected to reply to some of it.

 

**@pagan_sushi:** yeah that’s a good idea amai. i’m actually heading to bed now so goodnight everyone 

**@kork_uma:** aw :( ok then

**@sweet_muffin_:** goodnight!

 

She almost slammed her laptop shut and let out a sigh of relief at the effectiveness of that excuse. Truthfully, she hadn’t planned on going to bed just yet, but god, did she  _ hate _ suddenly being called out to socialize like that, even if it was just through the internet. Setting her laptop down on the nightstand, Supana untied her eyepatch and shut off the lights so she wouldn’t have to see everything as a blur on one side. The nighttime made her vision go a complete and even black, so all there was to see was the dark and the occasional faint outlines of the objects in her room. 

As heavy silence fell over the room, the occult girl’s mind began to wander over the day’s events, more specifically the ones taking place at the hospital. Poor Oka. No wonder Arata looked so horribly shaken up on her return to the waiting room. Her housemate seemed unaware of just how horrified she looked and tried to play it off like it was nothing, but the entire club knew better. Supana herself was shocked at seeing how Oka sat in the hospital bed limply like a doll, eyes half lidded and skin such a sickly white that the hospital walls darkened in comparison. It was easily a traumatic sight and yet Arata spoke nothing of it after passing out in front of their house. Did she even remember what had happened at all? This girl who’d wandered into everyone’s lives by chance only a day ago was a complete enigma, and that wasn’t even the weirdest part of her life now.

‘God,’ Supana groaned, rolling on her side and stuffing her face into a pillow, ‘When did my life become something out of some crazy ass TV show?!’

  
  



End file.
